The coyotes have started getting my chickens and guineas in broad daylight. I have them free range. Does anybody have any home remedy for coyote repellent?

-- Dean Deslatte (DDesla6749@aol.com), November 11, 2000

Answers

A good rifle and a big dog ! If you don't hunt ask at local sports shops and find some .

-- Patty (fodfarms@slic.com), November 11, 2000.

Get one of the protective breeds or dogs.A Good size one bc it may have to tangle with that coyote.Shepards and collies are personal favorites.Initially You will have to teach it to leave the chickens alone,but after that you should do good.

We ranged chickens,ducks, geese growing up and had little problem except for the very occasional hawk.We always had a mutt that had one or both of these parents.They kept anything untoward away,including two legged coyotes. Never had a bit of thieving back then. More trouble with weasels getting in pens of diff. small animals.

Mutt wt

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), November 11, 2000.

Dean! An Airdale is the breed of dog you're lookin for. They are used for huntin Bear! Also a nice .222 rifle and scope would help out the dog too-assuming you're not located around a bunch of people! Safety First! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), November 11, 2000.

Donkeys have been known to kill coyotes (they don't like canines). But have also read that they can bond with family dogs. There are alot of sources for saving donkeys, BLM, etc. if you're interested.

-- Marsha W. (CaprisMaa@aol.com), November 11, 2000.

Boy that's tough,I agree use a large dog probably 2. I've seen dogs who became victims of wolves, not pretty. How ever if you could limit the range of your chickens or better yet pen them for a while. Pour or spray human urine around perimeter of chicken range. Coyots and wolves truely avoid man.

-- Del (dgrinolds@gvtel.com), November 11, 2000.

Dean, we were surprised last week that a whole pack of coyotes came right up in our yard and were yipping and running around at 4 a.m.! Your saying that they come to your place in the daylight is not very encouraging! My rabbit hutches are in a pole barn type building attached to the barn and are "hanging" but there is no wall on one side so I raced down to check on them and they were o.k. but it certainly scared me. Since our chicken enclosure will be right beside that we've got to come up with a solution too! Our dogs are in a fence and they barked and barked but I guess the coyotes know they couldn't get to them! I can't run out and buy a donkey or whatever!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), November 13, 2000.

I second the dogs answer -- check out American Working Farmcollies on the web. We are getting a male pup a week from today, with a female to breed him to coming in February, I hope -- they do have to be taught to leave the chickens alone, just like any other dog, but once taught will protect them with their lives -- and if you have more than one coyote, you will probably need two or three dogs. That's why we are getting more than one. We kept losing our chicks to racoons and weasels, but we have coyotes here, too.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 13, 2000.

Dean,

My choice when the varmints(coyotes,opossums and coons were stealing my chickens was to aquire a Great Pyrenees. They are very protective of livestock and great with my kids too. Coyotes used to come up in my yard, but I have not seen one within 2 miles of here since I brought home my dogs. Need any more info just e-mail me. I'll be glad to share.

-- Dan Krabel (dk@comwares.net), November 14, 2000.

Here in NM we have had coyotes come into people yards and bite children in broad daylight. Coyotes in a pack will pretend to play with a friendly dog and lure it to its death when they turn on him. We don't have any outdoor cats in this area. The only time we are rid of the coyotes is when we have an abundance of mountain lions. They eat coyotes. Once coutotes sense a free meal (your chickens), they will tend to get bolder and bolder. Be sure you get a large aggressive dog if you are going that route. Don't leave a puppy outside unattended.

-- Lynne (Lynnie70@juno.com), November 16, 2000.

Dean: I agree that a Great Pyrenees is one of your best options with coyotes. We have had them for years to protect the sheep, goats, and chickens. In a short time between dogs, we lost over 30 chickens to coyotes or weasels. Since we got the latest puppy, things have dramatically improved. The pups have to be trained to leave poultry alone at first, as mentioned above, but are very effective against predators. They do not tangle with predators unless all other options are exhausted: they are too smart for that. When faced with a coyote or coyotes, or stray dogs approaching the property, they will seem to be acting friendly to the intruder. But what they are really doing is acting friendly farther and farther away from their helpless charges, luring the intruder away, until they then bark a stern warning not to approach. Their deep bark, and constant running around the perimeter of their guardian space, keeps many a predator from being foolish enough to risk those huge jaws. The ruff around their neck also serves to protect them in case of an attack. For their size they are extremely gentle with their human family, but are fearsome-looking enough to keep human predators at a distance. (I haven't worried when staying alone on the place with young children, because of the remark made by a guy who came out to pick up junk: He looked uneasily at both white giants who were barking at him, and remarked,"Them are sure big dogs you got there, ma'am." I told him that he would be allright as long as I was out there with him, which was the truth, altho he actually could have loaded up the entire contents of our house without them bothering him unless I had acted upset.) Good luck with your chickens, it is heartbreaking to lose them, so I wish you the best in keeping them alive.

-- Peggy Taylor (bptaylor@ccrtc.com), December 22, 2000.