Predator Presence: What’s Lurking on Your Property?
Do you know what predators are lurking around your property? It is amazing how some of these animals can pass by so quickly and quietly. And yet others make every effort to make their presence known. Shortly after moving into our home in the fall of 2020, we would hear coyotes in the night; however, there was no telling how close they were as their howls echoed off the hills and valleys around us. It was over a half of a year later before we saw a coyote on our property with our own eyes. Then there was the evening I had just locked the chickens in for the night and was collecting their eggs. I looked over and along the tree line just behind the coop was the most beautiful fox I had ever seen – a grey fox. Up until that moment, I didn’t even know grey foxes existed, let alone were around our house! While we have made a few brief sightings of some spectacular predators, having trail cameras around the property has also been enlightening. One night we even captured pictures of a bobcat!
Why It’s Important to Know Your Predator Presence
Knowing the predators that surround you is vital to your livestock’s survival. We have done our best to make our chicken coop a safe haven. Unfortunately, free ranging has not worked well for us. We have lost 4 out of 10 chickens to predators during the day. That is a major factor in why we have adjusted how we range our chickens. Instead of having them free range, we are working towards having them confined to our future goat pasture. We are hoping that using electrical fencing will help keep the chickens in and the predators out, thereby improving our chicken’s survival rate.
This predator presence has also impacted our decision for pig fencing. Instead of choosing pig fencing that will simply keep the pigs in, we are also being very cognizant of what will keep the predators out. Currently, our pigs spend the night in a predator proof kennel and house. However, they will soon outgrow their current pen and be moved to a new shelter and pasture surrounded by electrical netting that is rated to keep out all the predators we are concerned with.
As we work towards adding goat to our property, this predator presence is also on our minds. While we will have our goats surrounded by electric fence, we need to think about what other precautions will we need to use. Will we also need a guardian animal? This question is one among many we ponder as we prepare to add more livestock to our farmstead.
What predator issues have you had on your property? What precautions have you taken to insure the safety of your animals?