# Predators and baby goats



## Sundari (Jan 12, 2009)

First of all -- yippee!! My Nigerian Dwarf kidded (for the first time), giving birth to two beautiful doelings. 

She was, however, 12 days early, so there are still a couple of things I was planning on learning about. How big of an issue are predators for baby goats? I live in the city, and we don't have many coyotes, but we do have plenty of foxes and a few raccoons. Unfortunately, my goat shed doesn't really close securely. My adult goats (two females) are disbudded.

I did a fresh round of coyote urine on the fenceposts. Anything else I should be doing? Should I work on the shed to make sure I can lock the goats in at night?


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## mistyblue (Nov 13, 2008)

First of all, congrats on your new babies. I don't think the raccoons will be a worry for you, I have never heard of them bother baby goats, just chicks.

As for the foxes those could be a issue, but I would think being in the city that stray dogs would be more of issue for you. If it was me I would probably go ahead and work on the shed to make it more secure.


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## Sundari (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks for the congrats -- we're really enjoying the babies. 

We do have a 6 ft wooden fence completely surrounding our property. We've never had a problem with a stray dog getting into our backyard, but I do know that foxes can scale the fence.


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

Actually, raccoons can take out a Nigi kid.... a breeder was telling me just yesterday that she lost a doeling last year to a ****.


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## mistyblue (Nov 13, 2008)

Wow, see I would never have worried about the Raccoons at all. I always seem to learn something new on here.


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## DPW (Mar 13, 2010)

In one of the last few issues of Goat Rancher Magazine one of the regular contributors relayed a story about a young kid they saved that had it's nose chewed off by a raccoon before her LGD heard the commotion and came to the rescue and killed it. 
I would secure the shed if I were you. And keep this in mind. Raccoons can squeeze into an amazingly small space to get into where we don't want them to go.


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