# Predator concern- when to start leaving kids out overnight!?



## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Hello, our early March bucklings are all doing well  It is coming time to vaccinate and burdizzo them (not looking forward to that at all!!)

They are still being penned up with their mama's in the shed every night. It is now warm enough that they could stay out overnight, but we DO have coyotes and apparently cougars in the area. The goat pen is fenced but if something really wanted in it could get in. We've always worked on the theory that a coyote would have to be a moron to jump in a pen with three horned female goats!!! I think the babies are now heavy enough that an eagle or hawk might have troubles picking it up. 

The babies are all 4 weeks old now. Horns are well started on two of them and one is polled. 

Do you think it would be safe to start leaving them out overnight with Mama goats in the goat pen? It's going to have to happen eventually because the shed they are in is being converted into the chicken coop! 

When do the rest of you turn yours out with the herd at night? Potentially we need to figure out a way to put doors on our run in shelter that could close and lock in the evenings!


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## goat-lover (Dec 27, 2014)

Oka one thing you need to know about coyotes if they want it Bad eoungh they will get them even with their moms in there or not if the pack of coyotes is big enough in hunger they will take on anything I had a friend that had 3 shire horses big horse in they had foals with them an you wouldn't think they would mess with something that big but they killed 2 of the foals I've lost 2 big Boer bucks to them in one night they may be small but they do damage in numbers I have an old garage that I use for my goats housing everybody gets put up in the night they don't really bother my goats in the summer but in the winter they are in my backyard in Hawks can pick up kids even at 35 pounds I've had it happen even my grandma has lost 2 from hawks I keep the kids locked up until they are almost 2 months old that's what I do


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

I have nigerians and would never leave them in a field at night - we have bob cats, cougars mainly and the danger of a neighbor dog being out at night. We have a tight fence, very strong charger with a top wire and an outside wire at what I think is sniffing height. Also lots of Nite-Guards flashing on corners of the holding area. Even our sheep are in a holding area with the same. Goats are inside their building but something could go over the gate into the building I guess. Have a security camera system in the barn and can hear any noise from there. We can't be sure nothing will go in but hope and pray. Also we put lights out so the area around the holding pens and barn are lite up. Fish and Wildlife told me light discourages cougars. Hope they are right. So far so good. I also bring them in from the field about 5.00 pm and they don't get to go out till about 8 in the am. We had a cougar kill in the evening quite a few years back - don't want it again.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

A male coyote can take down and kill a doe deer. Trust me when I say, it would have no issue at all with a horned goat. Goats dont typically stand their ground vs. a predator. Let them out during the day and lock them up in a loafing area next to their pens at night.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

I guess it depends on where you are, but I don't ever leave my goats out at night. I'd never get any sleep worrying about them when I hear the coyote howls at night. 

Good grief, now I have to worry about hawks too? We have a mating pair of bald eagles and their offspring on the property, but they mostly seem to eat the rabbits and fish. I wouldn't put it past the golden eagles.


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## goatkisses87 (Mar 18, 2015)

We have really bad coyotes around here and I don't lock my goats up at night and have never had a problem. I do have a few tricks to this though, for one I leave a radio on in my barn and also a light, I have 2 dogs that are penned near the barn, I take my male dog around the perimeter of the fence and let him mark his territory (which he loves), and I have a flock of guineas which are the noisiest most irritating birds on the planet, but also pretty effective at a) warning of any type of threat and b) the noise scares things off. I haven't had so much as a raccoon, fox, or possum problem even though there are tons around here and I have a lot of chickens.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Mine go out at night, however they can get into the barn if they want. They usually sleep inside no matter how nice it is outside. I have a large coyote population in my area, but they have never bothered the goats.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Hmmmm thanks for the interesting info everyone! 
I think we'll keep them in the shed until we can build a door of some sort on their run in shelter that we can lock at night. Hopefully we can do that next weekend and then they can all sleep outside in the run in shelter all secure for the nights. I'd never leave them out in the field either, our buck is in the big field with the horses and we build him a pallet shelter to get locked into at night because he's polled and has no defences at all! 
Our coyotes seem to roam in pairs not packs here, but I think our local pair is gone as one was hit on the highway and then I heard coyote yipping and then a gunshot from a neighbouring farm a few weeks ago and haven't heard any coyotes at night since! Won't be long before another pair roams this way I'm sure. 
Cougars are elusive and we probably wouldn't know they were there until we had a big problem! But both cougars and bobcats have been spotted in the area lately so who knows. 
Thanks for chiming in everyone


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Am guessing that you dont have a loafing area between the field and their shelter? If so that would be best. Allows them to be outside of the shelter and not have to pee and poop in it all the time. Even if you just took a few 16 foot combination cattle panels and made them a small pen in front of their shelter, that would be great for them. This way you can fortify a much smaller area better.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

TDG-Farms said:


> Am guessing that you dont have a loafing area between the field and their shelter? If so that would be best.


I've never heard of a loafing area but I think what you're describing is what I call their pen? They are penned into what used to be a vegetable garden with 4 foot high chain link fence around it. Inside this area is a 12 foot by 6 foot run in shelter, an old dog house that they like to hide in and jump on, some tires, their water area and their feeder. The area is about 30 feet by 20 feet total and fenced in with a gate.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

But if a coyote wanted over that chain link fence he'd just go up and over. I can't see a coyote having trouble climbing it! We are in the process of replacing the fencing with board fence and wire on the inside, but the ground isn't completely thawed all the way down yet so we have to wait until May/June.


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## SlapHappy (Mar 27, 2014)

I didn't even know people leave their goats out at night. 


I agree w/ a poster who said they would not be able to sleep at night if they did that.


I live in the woods. There are just too many possible predators to do that.
What about winter or bad storms?


I realize that wild goats do not have barns but after all the time and expense of caring for my animals; I want them to be as healthy and safe as possible. 


I would not turn their barn into a coop. I would build a coop.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Haha it's not their barn it's the garden shed which we put them into to get them out of our garage after the kids were born because we had a particularly cold March up in my part of Canada! Those goats lived out the rest of the winter and as you can imagine we get colder than most places!! They just grew nice fluffy coats like the horses. Livestock lives outside up here and manages just fine


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