Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
As a shepherd, you can learn to manage your fl ock so that a predator will
decide that eating at your house is a lot harder than chasing mice and rabbits.
The box below will give you some ideas on how to minimize predation. Also
keep in mind that your fl ock will suffer from less predation if it is strong and
healthy, so good feed and excellent health care pay in more ways than one.
Identifying Predation and Predators
Sometimes predators get a bum rap: if the corpse of a dead sheep has obvi-
ous bite marks, it's natural to think that a predator was the perpetrator. But
remember, sheep die from a number of causes, and unless you actually see a
predator attacking a live animal, the sheep may have died of natural causes
and then been fed on by scavengers.
DISCOURAGING PREDATORS
Predators can be discouraged by the following techniques:
■
Keep guardian animals, like dogs, donkeys, and llamas
■
Use lighted night corrals with high, predator-tight fences
■
Put bells on some of your sheep; you can hear the bells if the
sheep are being chased. High-frequency bells have also been tried
with some success, especially for warding off dog attacks, as the
sound is unpleasant to the animal. The high-frequency bells
haven't worked as well for coyotes or bears, though in research
centers no sheep that was wearing a bell has ever been killed.
■
Have sheep in an open fi eld in sight of your house.
■
Use coyote snares along fence lines. These will catch both dogs
and coyotes. Check the legality of snares in your area before
buying any.
■
Have a gun. Even a pellet gun can drive off an attacking dog.
Although a dog running through a fl ock of sheep is not an easy
target, most predators spook at the sound of a gun shot into the
air.
■
Use “live traps” (cages) for trapping dogs, which allows harmless
animals to be set free. These traps are of little value with coyotes,
