Darn Good Dog, Hero Rooster

[Laura Workman]

My chickens and rabbits live together in a Costco shelter, the chickens ranging and the rabbits in suspended cages. The yard for the chickens, the gate to which is usually open, is right next to the goat yard. I was out in the goat shed milking with my dog and a friend this morning about 8:00. The chickens set up a ruckus, and the nearby crows did too, but when I looked out, I didn't see anything. We got back to milking, and the chickens started up again after a few minutes. This time when I looked out, there, right in my chicken/rabbit house, was a G-- D----- COYOTE!!! Not 50 feet from our house! He had just snatched a hen, and was leaving the shed, the hen yelling loudly.

Naturally, I yelled, then ran from the shed with my dog in the lead. I got to the goat yard gate, opened it, and the dog was after the coyote. I was after the dog. The coyote ran down the hill and to the left about a hundred feet. I lost sight of it, but it had to drop the hen at that point, and I saw it streaking up the back hill with the dog gaining ground. I lost sight of them again just as they reached the back fence, but I heard a snarl and a pretty good yelp. When I got there, the coyote had disappeared, and the dog was fired up. The coyote must have been going over the 4-foot chain link fence when the dog snagged it. I'm hoping it got enough education to stay away from here.

The dog is a 35 pound English Shepherd, a little under 2 years old. My constant companion and helper here. Her name is Haylie. (Picture by Bill Woods last November.)



We retrieved the hen, and she may be OK. I found one tooth hole, but she's having some trouble with one leg, though I can't find any broken bones or serious looking injuries on that leg. Then we did a head count, and found only the rooster missing. My beautiful, gentle, kind Salmon Faverolles rooster, the one who at six months old brooded two five-week old pullets, is gone. Evidently the coyote had made an earler raid, and the roo, true to form, sacrificed himself to protect his girls. We found some of his feathers and a couple bloody bits near where the hen was dropped.



Thankfully, he does have some baby sons running around to carry on his legacy. What a great bird.

[Cyngbaeld]

I'm sorry about your sweet roo. Hope at least one of his sons takes after him.

[Chas in Me]

Your animals will tell you when something is wrong. Listen well to them.

[jnap31]

Sorry to here about the rooster.

[RockyRooster]

Aww so sorry for your rooster, that is so sad, I almost cried. I just marvel at how courageous animals are and in your case sacrificial. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. Good cameraship, if there is such a word.

[elkhound]

give that dog a pat from me.i love a great working dog.also it could be more than one coyote.be carful...they gang up on dog and kill him.they got a free meal from you..they will be back.do you know how to set a foothold trap??or find where they come through fence and hang a snare.if you dont you can call your local usda man and he can help with getting them under control.i use to live in washington there are bunches of coyotes there.hope you dont loose anymore birds .

[whitewolf]

Sorry about your roo. He was a beauty. As for that beautiful dog.....I remember having one as a child. He was sooooooooo smart. He did everything for going and bringing in the milk cow to praying when you told him to (in case you are wondering, you could say "say your prayers King" and he would lay down and put his paws over his nose.) I was just talking to my hubby the other day about him and would love to have one again. Is he the only one you have or do you breed them?

Whitewolf

[chicken]

She is a beautiful dog!

[Laura Workman]

Thanks for all the replies, folks. It's really nice to be able to talk to people who can understand how special that rooster was.

We had a short-lived coyote problem when we first moved here. A couple rocks under the fence, and my husband "marking" his territory seemed to solve the problem for a couple of years. I'm hoping that the high-speed chase, the bite on the rear, and my husband renewing his markings once again encourage the coyote to seek her meals elsewhere. However, I will be double fencing all my birds at night for a while just in case. And my neighbor who raises "very valuable" chickens, if you know what I mean, has a leg-hold trap he will set on his own property. (I'm afraid of catching my own animals, but his chickens are contained.)

Whitewolf, Haylie is the only English Shepherd I have, but the fellow who took the portrait of her, Bill Woods, currently has a litter on the ground that should be available in a couple of weeks. Here's his site: http://www.englishshepherd.us/pages/1/index.htm . If you contact him, please say hello to him for me.

[Freeholder]

More than likely, at this time of year, the coyotes are feeding growing pups, and you'll have to be really careful for a while. I would second the need for another dog -- coyotes are very smart and have learned to lure a lone dog off and dispose of it. Some places, even two dogs aren't enough.

Hayley is beautiful! My dog is 3/4 ES (and 1/4 Collie) -- he's lying by my chair right now.

There are actually quite a few people still breeding English Shepherds -- and some crosses with Collies, Border Collies, and Australian Shepherds. Check out the American Working Farmcollie Assoc. website.

Kathleen

[QBVII]

What a gorgeous dog!
And so intelligent-looking!

[Laura Workman]

Hi Bluejuniper, I do recognize the danger, but the coyote would have to be really something, I think, to lure my English Shepherd, who knows the property lines, hates intruders, and already nailed it in the rear end one time, over a 4-foot chainlink fence to meet its buddies.

And yeah, they are feeding pups right now, which is probably why it didn't stop at the rooster. Feeding pups also means they're not likely to be working in concert with other coyotes at this time of year, doesn't it? I think they mostly pack up in the fall, don't they? And predators, especially those with babies depending on them, tend to choose meals that are unlikely to injure them in the fray, consequently reducing their ability to hunt. I am trying to be as careful as I can just now, without completely shutting in my birds 24/7. We've been nearly three years without any losses here in this coyote, oppossum and raccoon infested place, so hopefully stepping it up a bit for the next couple of months will forestall a repeat of yesterday's carnage.

[Jen H]

I'm so sorry to hear about your rooster! He sounds like a truly great bird. I have one roo here who's nasty to me but just great at protecting the ladies and their chicks, so he gets to stay. After watching him bounce around in front of a coyote so the rest of the flock could get away, I just can't stuff him in a pot. You just have to admire that kind of courage.

And what a great dog! He did an awesome job!

We've been having some serious coyote problems up here as well. I've had to start keeping the birds cooped till late morning and getting them back in late afternoon. I'm hoping that keeping the coyote buffet closed for a while gets the pack to move on so I have more time to get the right guard critter.

[mightybooboo]

Good Dog!

Beware those coyotes though,they are patient and very good at springing traps on singular dogs.They got one of mine when he was alone(BooBoo's Brother),but a pack of em wouldnt challenge my GSD.BooBoo was smart,she was NEVER more than a few feet from me or Charley,the GSD.

What a great bunch of critters you have!
FINE DOG AND ROO!!!!!

Rest In Peace MightyRoo!

BooBoo