Good Afternoon; We had one of our three pings killed by a Mountain Lion last week. We thought that we lost all three pigs, and four of our goats, but the goats reappeared, and a neighbor called saying that there were 2 pigs on the highway- (we were able to recover them)( The dead pig had shorted the electric fence )) My question remains : What can we do to protect our pigs? We are setting up a security motion light, and have bought a 12 guage shotgun. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife website the llamas we have pastured ( in exchange for the protection they afford) are effective for foxes and coyotes (of which we also have many), they ARE scared of, and completely useless against cougars (of which we also have many). What to do What to do... If anything. Thanks in Advance, Unixguy
I've heard of LGDs going after big cats, but you'd want more than one, else the dog would be the loser. just a thought
Short of killing the lions, which I understand is frowned upon by a lot of the 'love all the furry critters' types in Colorado, the only thing I can think of is a pack of big dogs. Even then they'd better stay together or they'll probably wind up as a lions meal themselves. If you do consider dogs, talk to some of the doggy types of people in your area, I'll bet you can find some breeds that are better than others, and if Colorado still allows lion hunting with dogs (if not, I'm sure Utah or Wyoming do) maybe get some pups that already have some aggressiveness training toward lions. I know Great Pyrenes are known for being hell on coyotes, and very protective, but I don't know about lions, and don't know how they fare in a pack. I think your lamas are liable to be the next victims of the cat. If you're interested in lion hunting, or getting somebody else to hunt the lions let me know. I know a big time hunter in Colorado who can probably give you some pointers or send someone in your direction from another message board.
Build a predator proof shelter for the hogs to go into at night. And the light is good and you might try to have a radio playing all night near their pen tuned to an all news station so the lions think there are people talking near the pen. GP are good guard dogs as well.
Call your local USDA Wildlife Services. The lion has killed livestock. They will come trap it or run it.
The CO state cooperative extension has a webpage on livestock guardian dogs. It discusses the various breeds used to guard livestock (including Pyrs). These breeds have been used in Europe and Asia to protect flocks from predators for hundreds of years. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/LIVESTK/01218.html The USDA also has a pamphlet on using livestock guardian breeds. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/guarddog.pdf
Rhodensian Ridgebacks are livestock gurdian dogs. they were bred in Africa to protect the livestock against lions. They are, however, hard to find and a bit expensive. Claire
Pyrs have been known to take down bears that were threatening their flocks. Bears were one reason they began using them in France You gotta figure if it can kill a bear, the cougars shouldn't be much of a problem. I have to agree, though - three would probably be a better idea...
no single random dog is a match for an adult mountain lion, especially a big old tom. for instance in an older issue of full cry (a dog hunting magazine) there is a story of a 302# (allegedly, in all fairness the cat's head was bigger than a basketball) that killed & ate 1 of 2 120# bullmastiffs. then some folks came over w/ a good pack of 50-70# hounds & killed the big fella. Bill pyrs didn't kill bear 1 on 1. again cooperative pack work. Claire ridgebacks as a whole were bred hunt lions but not to actually catch & kill them, thats why they are regarded by most hog hunters as lacking heart. while they are easy to find, you were spot on about a truly good one (working stand point not show) is not & will be extremely expensive. on the plus side cats are pretty smart. if they get run a few times they will avoid dogs like the plague. so even if you can't kill them, running them helps to keep them away.
Get 2 Dogo Argentino. They were bred specificaly to fight and kill mountain lions, by learning where to grab the lion so that the fight would not last long. A male Dogo Argentino from a good breeder will reach around 100-120 pounds and 25-27 inches at the shoulder. They are athletic and can run fast. The only problem I see is the cold weather, since they are very short haired dogs. Best of luck. Nico "Always give your dogs the best possible DOG life"
I say get a pair of anatolians they'll protect your hogs from anything, Dogs 100-150 pounds Females 90-130 pounds Dogs 28-30 inches Females 26-28 inches, bred to take on wolf packs and can surely take on a mountain lion.
http://www.pbase.com/conklink/the_mule_and_the_mountain_lion From the looks of this, a mule is the ticket.
We spent a long time in choosing our dog breed. For an overall protection dog, pyrs are very formidable. You can leave them out in the field with the animals full time. Where in CO are you? We moved to MO from the Denver area. As a sidenote, I have a farmer in the area that has pyr pups available around Jan 1. He is asking only $50 for them. We got our male from him earlier, and have spent time around his adults. If you would be interested in 1 or 2 (2 being better for cats) we can pay for them and bring them out with us in Jan when we come out to visit family. It will only cost you 65 each $50 for dog + 14.99 at Petsmart for a bath, and they need the bath as the litter is in the goat barn, and my wife would kill me if they didn't get a bath. Catahoula leapords are neat dogs also, but don't have the ingrained herd protection of the pyrs.
Forgot, if you or anyone else is interested in the pyrs just email me at reitenger@yahoo.com He only has four available, so I need to know soon.
We use a pack of large livestock guard dogs to protect our flocks and herds from coyote, bear, the non-existant mountain lions* and other predators. They are very effective. I would not want to have a single dog by itself as it could be out manuvered by a pack of coyotes or out forced by a bear or lion. However a pack of LGDs take on and succeed against anything. Remember, predators don't have health insurance and don't want to waste their chances on an iffy situation. So they move on down the valley. -Walter Sugar Mtn Farm in Vermont *where mountain lions are officially extinct but we have run into them in the woods, seen their spore and found their tracks... So much for the game department's opions. :}
How to protect your live stock(pigs)from mountain lions?Get a Burro-they are excellent in being compatible with other animals and kill cougars and mountain cats as well---see post below: ----------------------------- I have several small/standard sized donkeys for sale as my herd is growing again: Young 2 year old jack, pettable. Gelding not pettable but not real wild either. 1 jenny, most likely pregnant, has been with jack and was seen bred by him last year, baby due this early spring maybe? Not sure. Prices very negotiable. You must haul, I don't have trailer. From Grand Canyon Adopt-A-Burro stock from 1980. These are offspring generations down. These donkeys keep the coyotes and ferral hogs run off and cougars also. They kill wild dogs, snakes and foxes(unfortunately). They follow me around. They like people. I have too many to tame them all. They are submissive to my horses and cattle, but have to be slowly introduced to new small livestock until they know they belong on the farm. One gelding, NOT for sale, was trained by my children and was ridden like a horse for many years. The Rockinhorse here.Have a good day __________________
