Coyotes

[Ironbutt]

My brood cows have been expected to start calving this month so I normally check on them late in day and first light in the mornings. I have never seen a coyote around here until this morning.
One was in the pasture laying down watching the cows and the cows were watching him, is reason I saw him. It saw me and retreated into the woods. Should I be concerned for my new calves at birthing time? What can I do to protect them if this is a future problem?
Wonder if the bull will be protective of the herd?

[G. Seddon]

I would put the cow that's close to calving in a secure pen, along with a buddy cow, and hay, water, shade, and keep an eye on them. You could also keep a radio turned on nearby. I don't think I'd put any money on the bull defending a cow, but I could be wrong. Do you have any retired hunter friends who'd be interested in babysitting?

I hope they'll all be safe!

[Alaska]

keep a rifle with a scope handy. Our cows seem to do a good job of protecting their own calves. Goats, sheep and chickens are another story

[gwithrow]

coyotes have been known to go after a calf halfway born....when the mother is defenseless....I would put those cows closer to home and where someone can hear them and keep a close eye on them.....they will take any opportunity to take a calf....good luck....

[gwithrow]

oh and forget the bull defending them...he may make some noise, but your best bet is a bullet before the cows calve...the other momma cows.....might try to run one off....but once those critters smell blood they will not stop til they get that baby...lying in the pasture is NOT a good thing...you do not want the cows to become comfortable with them hanging around......

[nchobbyfarm]

I second the rifle.

[MO_cows]

A solo coyote isn't likely to go after a calf. Probably hanging around hoping for some tasty afterbirth.

The bull will defend his cows.....from other bulls. The cows are the ones who defend calves.

We do try to put new moms and calves in the corral for the first night or two, but it doesn't always happen. We have a lot of coyotes in this area and they did take advantage of a calf that died but never had them get a live one.

I have heard of the behavior where coyotes strike while the calf is being born, but always heard it as a pack of them, not a solo animal.

[barnbilder]

Calf killing is generally an acquired behavior in coyotes and unless there is a history of problems in your area you should be fine. The common instinct is for them to clean up afterbirth and they love baby calf poop. They like to hang around cows, I think they remind them of buffalo, chase mice and voles out when they stomp around, too. Leave dead calves laying everywhere and don't keep an eye on your first time heifers if you want them to start killing calves. If they learn to they will figure out how to get the cow excited enough to kill her own calf, but usually they just hang out with no problems when exposed to good cattle management.

[Gravytrain]

A 'yote wouldn't stand a chance against my cows. They're pretty calm, but do not tolerate canines of any sort around the herd. I pasture my hens with my cows and the yotes won't even go near the hens while they are in the same pasture as the cows.

One time I made the long rotation of the cows from the farthest pasture to the nearest one and left the hen house on that far pasture to clean up the patties for a day or so. Within an hour of moving those cows away from the hens...2 yotes got into the henhouse and killed 9 hens. It was the only time I've ever lost chickens to coyotes. I haven't left the hens on pasture without the cows since.

[barnbilder]

If a coyote wouldn't stand a chance against your cows, remember, their calf won't stand a chance against them either. If they come across coyotes that know how to play them, they can aggravate the cow until she does the work for them. Hopefully your coyotes won't learn that trick, though.

[randiliana]

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about 1 or even 2 coyotes. We installed a PTZ camera this spring to help us with checking cows. We see 1-2 coyotes in with the herd every night when we are checking the camera. Rarely ever saw one before this. They are in there looking for cleanings to eat. They are a pretty easy meal for a coyote, and I really don't know why a coyote would want to fight a cow off if he has a free dinner. I know it does happen, but I think they would have to be fairly hungry to try it. All the nights we've checked, and seen coyotes out there, I've only ever seen one cow get upset about them, and she was in the midst of having a calf. BUT, if the cows sensed the coyotes were hunting, it would be a very different story!

[Jennifer L.]

I've never had coyote problems, although they can be right around the cows at night. They clean up still birth calves and the cleanings, but the cows would stomp them into the ground if they went after a live calf. Cows seem to know when they are a threat.