My husband says no dogs, donkeys, or llamas..

Bricore,

Not sure what area your living in; but here in Georgia we have a farmers and consumers market bulletin. Here is the link so you can see what I mean http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/0,...311428,00.html People are always posting items they have for sale; it has different section, I have been saving up for a small farm tractor, and hope that by the time we have enough saved that we will still be able to find one. You might do a search and see if you can find something like this for your area. Good Luck!

The backhoe thing is easy, Dynamite is cheeper and LOTS more FUN!
As for the coyote problem its a symptom of a bigger problem.
You need a better fence. Think 8 feet of 2"x4" woven wire with two smooth hot wires on top and a wire on the outside a foot up on a seperate charger.
Around your ENTIRE property.

For some thoughts on fencing you should take a look here,

http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=153831

Do you let the LGD free range with the ducks? If, so how far does he go before he comes back?

My chickens never go to far so if the dog stay along with them that would be ok. The lady down the road from us as a LGD and I see him all the time walking along side the HWY (I hate to say it but I have only seen him in once since we moved here with the goats. They have about 20 acres or more fenced in for their goats but some how that dog gets out.- I still want one but one that will stay with my critters..lol..)

The biggest area with the beaver issue is at the bottom of our place but it wraps around pretty far. It's a little over 1/2 mile down (my goats don't go that far down. They keep up toward the house more then anything else. Unless I take them out for a walk and then they follow me but they still only go to a point and then head back up.) There are few more acres (about 6-8) at the bottom but then your at the neighbors place and then the highway.

I'd worry if I had a dog that close to the highway that he may get hit or maybe go after the neighbors dog (they just lost one to coyotes not long ago~ they think. They aren't sure but it's gone.)

I'd like to keep the dog or dogs up close to the house (or at least on or around the first 10-15 acres because that's where the goats and chickens mainly stay at anyway.) It would be nice to have a little extra protection around the house (not that anyone ever comes up here..lol..)

Do they (LGD) respone well to those underground fence things?

Thanks again!

Thanks for the link! I'll check that out for sure. We are only an hour away from some parts of Georgia!

I have been keeping my eyes on CL. and a small local paper we have here. Just to watch prices and all.

My sister back in Ohio has been keeping her eyes open for us too. We have large heavy duty flatbeds to carry heavy equpiment but right now we are just saving our pennies (if the house back in Ohio sells we'd go buy one but it hasn't so gotta budget for it.)

Thanks again for that link!

I have my lgds in fenced pastures for the sheep and goats. The ducks and chickens just go all over, and they bed down near the other animals at night. I did have some trouble with the dogs getting out of the fence, partly due to old fencing. They wouldn't leave the area, but expanded their territory, which included patrolling a side road that borders my property. To keep them in I used electronet on the inside of the problem fence areas, so they were double fenced in some spots. Any new woven wire I put in now is 47". They seem to stay in that just fine with no electric needed. After a while I had the net off, but just left it set up, no problems. I have also used a tire for the dog to drag to keep them it, I wouldn't recommend that near a creek for safety reasons. I had to correct one of the lgds at first for harassing the chickens, but it only took a few corrections and she's great now. She was young too, and now is only 2 and a half years old.

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Claycreekfarm.info

Bricore,

I have seen people from parts of florida, tennesse and alabama post wanted things in that publication. They will send it to you free; or you can just keep checking on things via the website, I have them send it to me as well as check it via the website. I have found several items through it, I do not have anything currently I am trying to sell or anything but if I do I'll post it there. You might also check craigslist; my friend just bought a car from a person off of craigslist. You might also think about going in on a backhoe with a neighbour or something. It is one of the things we are thinking about with getting a tractor.

http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com/w...er_recipes.htm

http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zbeaver.html

Hubby does not need a backhoe.

All your problems can be solved by learning to trap or calling a local hunt club or the trappers association in your area. Guys will come in for free and trap your beaver and coyotes. all Hubby is doing is wrecking there dam . They will rebuild. You need to get rid of them.

Guard dogs will keep coyotes away but better to kill at least some of them . That opens up more wild food for them so it less likely they will come in close to your place.

My husband and I are both liscensed trappers and will often do this in exchange for the fur we catch.


Patty

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Milk Made Soaps & Lotions
Raising Saanen Dairy Goats , Icelandic Sheep , German Shepherds ,Registered Jersey cows , LGD

What made you stop an hour away from Ga and not come on in? I love it here and if you can talk him into it, I have three live stock guardian dogs that have been offered to me that I am not ready for.

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I'm a goat person, not a people person,
De @ Udderly Southern Dairy Goats
we will be adding a new breed in the spring

I would lock the chickens in at night, for sure.

Also, I have been told that playing a radio will keep the coyotes away as they don't like the human voices.

If your going to lock your chickens in at night; make sure that if it very secure, last year I lost all 30 of my chickens to stray dogs. They had some how managed to dig under the coop door; my coop is next to my garden but my garden was not fenced at the time, so they could walk right up to the coop. Needless to say I was very surprised when I went to let the chickens out and was met with three dogs and 30 dead chickens. I was able to call a friend of mine that works for a vet and they came and got them for me. I have always heard that once a dog got the taste of killing, would ever stop killing after that. Some dog's I am sure will kill because they are hungry; but most kill for sport, or at least in my opinion it seems to be true. There is a guy near me that just had to put down his dog; because all of a sudden the dog took to chasing the baby cows and the dog killed two of the baby cows. I also had stray dogs about 6 months ago that; got into the garden but because I made the coop a bit more secure, did not get to my chickens. I was always told that the rooster would be enough to keep most things out; but none of my roosters have been worth much. I hope you find a way to keep your animals safer; we are fencing in our 5 1/2 acres; almost due to the same reason. We have a lot of stray dogs in our area and fencing or shooting them are the only way to keep them out.

Coyotes are bad news - we lost a month old buckling this past summer and had 2 doelings with injuries from coyotes. But with the addition of Pearl, our donkey, she has kept our herd safe. No more attacks once she was added to our pasture. We have 2 pastures - one with a 3 yo pyr and a 7 month old pyr puppy, and the other with Pearl. I'd never be without protection after experiencing our loss/tragedy this past year. Once you find a carcass after it's been ravaged by a coyote, you won't either. I'm sure our buckling was alive while he was being eaten from the rear forward. What a horrible way to die!

I would never feel comfortable having a bunch of strangers running around my place with guns. If, it's someone I know that's different. There are too many people that think they can hunt and each year you hear about people getting hurt because of it.

I agree killing the beaver is an answer and we do hunt them (not trap tho. I'll go look and see what traps the feed store has this weekend.) As you can tell we aren't keeping up with the number of them. They were just hunted (got 7 of them) not but a week before we left for Ohio and you can see how big their hut was 3 weeks later!

The water runs around our place and around a pine forest that no one lives at. I can't hunt on their place (here you have to have a WRITTEN letter from the owners of the land to hunt..Although I have found people don't always follow that. It's still the law and I don't want to be the one getting in trouble) and I know there are beavers on their place.

All that happens when we hunt ours is more move in from either upstream or down (I can't really tell you where they come from but they just show up!)

So, we get what we can on our place but we have to keep up with the damage they do upstream and down (were we can not hunt at) and the ones we are not keeping up with (traps would kind of hunt for us when we can't though... What can do you recommend?)

Hey, maybe a LGD would just go enough to get the other ones and come back to protect my critters at night?..hee..hee.. I still want me a dog (or two..)

Well if they don't like human voice maybe I'll sing.

I will give that a try though (playing the radio.) I was going to play the mountain lion CD but then started to wonder if I'd just bring those in too. If, I seen one of those I don't think I'd go back outside for a while...Those scare me!

Thanks for the advice!

I am sorry to hear that. 30 chickens is a lot to have gone in one night. I would have just been sick.

I have my chickens in a tractor but after that night I moved the tractor into a fenced in area.

I haven't heard any coyotes after we went out with the gun.

A friend of mine in Mississippi is coming over for Thanksgiving and they are going to come out and hunt during their stay. So, that makes me feel a little better too.

Hey, if you don't mind later I am going to send you a PM about the dogs (after I talk with my husband..lol) I haven't said anything to him yet but I'll wait until after dinner tonight and bring it up.

Yesterday I was reading my son's facebook and as I scrolled everyone was wishing him a happy birthday. I thought...ah...that's sweet...he has so many friends and then it hit me, "oh crap I forgot Simon's birthday".

This morning I got up and started baking a cranberry oatmeal bar...oh so good if anyone wants a recipe...has sour cream, brown sugar, yummy....well, my husband wakes up and says, "happy anniversary". Another oh crap moment. I had a recovery since I had the desert in the oven.

I remember all the goats birthdays.........and I wonder why they call me the crazy goat lady.

Well, I'm off to help milk the neighbor's goats.

Yeah! What Vicki said!

Madfarmer

Its when you DON'T hear them you need to beware. Motion light detectors and a loud barn radio & locking them up at night helps.
But I could never live with myself to wake up some morning to dead or mauled still living goats.
We got an LGD during our second year. All the way down to pick him up Dh kept asking me if we could really afford to do this. My answer was "We can't afford not to".
Last month we had a buck here I put the dog in another pen by himself. One morning he was in with the goats. A few days later a neighbor told me he had spotted a cougar. Wouldnt you know it was the same morning of the cat siting.
While my dog might not be able to take care of a cat by himself his presence is a mighty darn good deterrant.
Ive said it before and I'll say it again, one is better than none. We will never ever be without at least one LGD. If he can kill opossums I bet whatever you get can do in beavers.

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Bob and Nancy Dickey
Laughing Stock Boer Goats
"Seriously Great Bloodlines"
and the meat goes on....
Near Seattle