Goats and Predators

 Originally posted on 5/18/13, Updated on 3/22/15

Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Dogs, Coyotes, and Mountain Lions can cause some of the biggest problems with goats.  If you live in an area that does not have Coyotes and Mountain Lions this is good news for a goat but dogs are everywhere.  All three of theses predators can jump and clime just about any fence.  One of the most common goat predator is the family dog.  Even if you don’t own a dog your goats can still be at risk.  We have heard may times that a neighborhood dog breaks into someones yard and kills their goats.  To protect a goat from predators like these it is necessary to make sure your goat has a safe pen and a completely enclosed top may be necessary in some locations.  If Coyotes and Mountain Lions are a big concern in your area you should have a concrete border around the base of your goat’s pen that attaches to the base of the cage’s wall so nothing can squeeze or dig under.  You may also need to construct a pen out of heavy duty material that is stronger than chain link so Mountain Lions can not break in.  Also putting your goat inside a barn at night is a good idea or someplace that is very secure.  If Coyotes and Dogs are the main predator in your area, a few well trained Great Pyrenees dogs can make excellent protectors or the Anatolian Shepherd.  Also a guard llama or donkey can be a help and chase off Coyotes or Dogs.  Kids (baby goats) are also at risk of prey birds so make sure the little ones are safe.

This little kid below was a goat we took in from another farm. We bottle fed him because he was orphaned at just a few days old.  His mother and many other of his friends were killed in a Mountain Lion attack.  He was one of the few that survived this attack.