Predator Issues - Wolfs, Bears and Foxes

[@gailakraeszig2866]

Thank you for keeping your episode real! You're right..... these things happen! It's good for those just getting into farming or homesteading to know that even those who have been doing this for a while have problems from time to time. I always enjoy watching your channel!

[@jackiecrispin]

Thanks for keeping it real. It is appreciated

[@brickthegreengiant]

I always appreciate your honesty. What you are showing is reality and also shows the problem solving that is required to run a farm. keep up the great work.

[@Douginont]

For my chicken coops, I staple the hardware cloth and the attach 1x2 strapping over it. A fox did dig under my turkey coop and killed my turkeys. It also got one of my free range chickens last week. 5 minutes later I got him. Cheers man.

[@onassignment1]

Life is never perfect and it is what it is. Thanks for sharing with us. We love what you are doing.

[@joycejudd5109]

..."as though they had a sense of humor"...gotta love those cows!!! good video! (and good camera-woman!)

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

I greatly appreciate your honesty. Thank you for showing us the issues and discussing the predator pressures. Thanks for the video.

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Indeed

[@oswaltedmund6257]

love the words, "ANYWAYS". Its made me smile, I know the feeling. Its two steps forward, one step left, not back, just not the way it was planned. Good video!

[@sunflowersnbluebirds7362]

I love your channel just the way it is, it's real. Thanks for making it for us!

[@thomasfarkas5458]

Excellent video Simeon. A tough day on the homestead beats a good day at a town job. Hang in there, you got this.

[@geraldswain3259]

OH!the trials and tribulations of farming !!!..everything going swimmingly ,then Bang !!you get knocked down ,but you always get up again.Simeone just keep on smiling.

[@simeonandalex]

You got it right...

[@onetuliptree]

Good discussion about the difficulties of keeping pastured chickens safe from predators.

[@trudil.7331]

Never be sorry for honesty, I think it is more helpful than sugarcoating reality and I respect it!

[@raymondhodge3979]

Great real life on the farm video, As you say things will always happen, all you can do it try to adapt and look for way that will work for your situation.

[@jamesweh209]

I like how you keep your spirits up when things don't go as planned. You show a positive, optimistic outlook, which is very healthy and pleasant company. I learn a lot from your videos. Chicken tractors are awesome.

[@jimborton1]

Simion, watching people solve problems and fix mistakes is much more interesting and educational than watching everything go well. Keep on keepin' on. Thanks for your great videos and say hi to the camera woman!!!

[@shirleyj5885]

So glad you give us the real story. Isn't that what life is.

[@peterford9369]

True enough. Nature is a wonderful interesting lady .Nice to see the greenery is thriving so well. I'm sure the cattle love it. Happy days,,, take care.

[@leobaltz2057]

just found your channel and subscribed! Really love the content and how you present it!

[@gdwright65]

Awesome job. It's not easy showing mistakes or just bad luck. Keep up the good work.

[@onedazinn998]

I loved hearing your little boy say to mamma, "are you scared?" (of the loose cows) which made me wonder, are you scared of your loose Highlands with huge horns? :)) I'd love to see you herding them back... :) love your videos.

[@joesmo6962]

Cows with long hair are somewhat immune to an electric fence

[@zorrorides1]

Love your channel because you keep it real. Sorry your having a bad day. Glad your losses were limited. You might try light weight galvanized steel wire as a quick fix for stuff like this.

[@MushtaqAhmad-jg3bn]

Thanks so much very good advice I lost few chicken Foxes have them now I keep chicken in bun God bless you all

[@LearningCurveAcres]

We use wood screws with big washers to keep the welded wire in place. We can't use chicken wire, raccoons will tear through. We also can't leave any gaps because of weasels which will kill a flock in a very short period of time.

[@saddleridge4364]

That is the method I used on my fence as well, that wire will not move with screwed down washers. Find galvanized hardware if you possibly can.

[@ramblingprose6603]

bottle tops make great washers for bird wire with screws

[@AussiePharmer]

Hi there! totally feel your frustration with cattle! I used to have these issues containing my cattle. Very few problems now though and keep 60 animals, nearly 1 animal per acre. Here's what I did which really helped, hopefully you find it useful. 1) Used main's power Energiser, installed 4 long ground rods for huge earthing capacity (bigger zap). Battery energisers are decent but not optimal. Cattle need to have a huge kick, not to hurt them, but to enforce the 'psychological' fence so they aren't even tempted to make contact with the fence. 2) Made long, permanent paddocks with 2-strand electric wire. Shifting the fence/cows up and down these paddocks. 3) Problem animals, learn to get through fencing, lose the fear factor and tend to make a habit of this. I guess the woolly coat on these highland cattle makes it difficult to zap them? I'm not saying get rid of the problems ones, but as your herd gets bigger this is a luxury you can afford. Calves will always get out, so it's not the end of the world. 4) When you allocate them a new area to graze, don't make it too narrow between the front fence and the backfence. Cattle are easily startled even by shadows, so give them enough room to turn comfortably and feel like they can get away from the 'threat' All the best!

[@Afraithe]

Had a neighbour with the same breed of cows, he started with electrical but noticed that they randomly walked through it like they didn't care for no apparent reason, ended up putting a post fence all around his big property cause it turned into a nightmare, he had quite a few though.

[@rmack48]

Cattle are very skittish and something occurs even the most minuscule thing they will try to get away from it and no fence will truly stop them. At least with electric fence they don't tear themselves up and only get a shock when they go through it whereas with barbed fence they can tear themselves up pretty good trying to get through that type of fence.

[@simeonandalex]

Yes, one reason why I hate barbed wire.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Me, too. It's everywhere in the western U.S. I'd rather have a loose animal than a maimed one.

[@justaddwater674]

Our Highlands seemed to consider barbed wire there for their scratching pleasure!

[@benkeeler5729]

I used a pneumatic stapler for my tractor. Much longer staples that are a bit thicker as well. Mine is still new, soI still don't know how well it will hold up. I've got over a year on a stationary chicken coop with wire pneumatic staples, and it's as good as day one.

[@simeonandalex]

Thanks for the tip.

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

Here is another commentor with a suggestion. Sorry! When attaching wire to wood, I don't use staples any more because they pull out and sometimes don't go in well. Instead, I use lath screws - that is, wood screw with very wide heads, almost as if there is a built in washer. They don't pull out and are very easy to install, in my opinion.

[@Bergalicious38]

We always had small farm animals. I love the chickens. I'd like to see how you get the cows back and what is needed to take care of them. I really enjoy your videos. You have a very healthy workout everyday.

[@tomcaldwell5750]

good video, thanks! 😊

[@HansQuistorff]

My carpenter father would save all the strips that came from ripping a board down to size. These were very handy to hold the edge of fencing or plastic better than staples.

[@richardbarrett5637]

informative channel,with enough compost you could start growing mushrooms predators don't like them and they don't run thru fences and you grow them inside a shed

[@scottyg4605]

Just had a thought about the old tree stumps. Try drilling them with mushroom fungus spore plug's to see if they will break them down and save you time and money grinding them down. It should in the process provide more food for the chocks to scratch through. God bless you and your family.

[@lorilumax6850]

I really appreciate the truth.. thanks for sharing

[@fredthorne9692]

Keeping it real. Thanks!

[@jsal7734]

What i have learned using mobile tractors is to use screws to fasten the netting. I also use Clamps but not without montage screws (montageskruv) with the large heads.

[@Bonezmi16]

you'll find the cows will test the fence. if your battery was low they may of tested it and if they didn't get a shock they will push through it. our cows are always doing it. they will find the dead spot in the fence and push through. normally it's the younger cows, it's almost like the older ones make they test the fence.

[@chrisyoung732]

When attaching the wire to the frame use screws and washers instead of staples. The added safety will pay off in the long run

[@andrewlafogg4041]

Did Sally escape also? When you first announced the news of the "big breakout" I thought it was Sally up to her old tricks again from the wintertime lol.

[@veng3r663]

On that top loose edge of that one chicken tractor have you tried looping some more wire around and through it ? Once fastened down good & tight with some pliers it WILL stay in place unlike those staples...

[@dmaifred]

I'm in country Australia. Besides the 3 metre fence with overhang and dug in skirt I use a local invention used by farmers during lambing season called a 'Foxlight' to deter wild dogs and foxes. it fits on a star-picket and randomly flashes very bright sequences of white, blue and red lights. It is suppose to mimic humans/hunters with flashlights. A 6V battery lasts 6 months. So it seems to be working, cant tell until it doesn't. Along with peeing on the fence border all is well considering I spotted a fox 10 min away while driving to work.

[@SimplySonjaTX]

I put a small radio outside the barn tuned to a talk station. The voices seem to deter the larger predators like coyotes, bobcats, & foxes. Still looking for solutions for the egg- thieving possums & snakes. 😡

[@simidhel]

Would some cable-ties as a back up to the staples perhaps help? How much does the loss of a bird impact your productivity percentages out of interest? As you say, these things happen and you can only do so much to try and mitigate it. Hopefully it wasn't a bear that encountered the pasture wire! Good luck rounding up Sally et al :)

[@simeonandalex]

I have no numbers on how much this effects my numbers but with chickens you always expect some loss.

[@Flexaret]

Simon B, sounds like a good idea, I used cable ties to attache pea netting to the posts and they've outlasted the netting, I think they've been up for 3 years so far..

[@EnGammalAmazon]

The problem with predation is that the lost animal cost comes entirely out of the profit margin no matter what their age. That makes dealing with predators primary activity. To a cattle operation, the loss of 3-4 head can mean the difference between a good year and a poor one.

[@EnGammalAmazon]

Maybe there's a new business opportunity here. If you could just train the predators to select for the least healthy and old critters it would be mutually beneficial! We have all kinds of 'whisperers' (dog, horse and baby to name just three) here in the US. Maybe someone could commune with the wolves, foxes and forest cats to train them.

[@Flexaret]

Hi Simeon, yes it's annoying when you're being honest and showing the problems and mistakes and people who are simply armchair critics feel the need to post and criticize, take strength from the knowledge that for every person who criticizes there 1000 who appreciate what you do and will support, encourage and where possible offer constructive advice.

[@dimitrofvbg9293]

You need a livestock guardian dog. The best for me - Karakachan dog - it is an old Shepherd dog breed that comes from Bulgaria. The bad thing is that it is not really common outside the country. Alternative is the Alabai - Central Asian Shepherd or the Kangal from Turkey. These are the best for me. Good luck.

[@charlymaher3361]

I agree that a wild animal spooked them and they charged the fence wire which came loose easily. Lucky day.

[@marthabenner6528]

Our neighbors had pigs, and the local wild Black Bear "Muffins" came in one day. And drug one off screaming, then came back a few days later for the second one. It has been aggressive since then, and slightly terrifying.

[@eveny119]

Ive always heard that chicken wire should be used only to contain them but it will not protect from predators, you need to use the 1/4''-1/2'' hardware cloth.

[@laurabunyard8562]

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

[@Theartisticgardener]

We had a problem with what I think was a bobcat recently .

[@ServiceTrek]

thanks for showing the mistakes. nice to know it's not just me :)

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Yes

[@ibjeterhere]

Cattle and electric fences go way back, when I was young I worked on my uncles farm herding milk cows, if one of the fences went down for even a few minutes they would sense it and start heading in that direction, good luck ...

[@jjf8862]

My Grandfather had big issues with raccoons and foxes getting in the chicken coop taken eggs and chickens and the raccoons are little bandits so smart

[@shirleyj5885]

You might want to check out what has the gulls stirred up, it may have something to do with whatever spooked the cows.

[@charlymaher3361]

Shirley J probably foxes raiding their nests eggs. A couple of farm dogs might be useful.

[@tomaskovacik]

he talk about it, dog need a food

[@belfast479]

Good Luck, Best Wishes

[@russellmccullough2550]

on your show today i saw you feeding your hogs. how much feed do you give them. i am new to owning young pigs. i heard at least 2 times a day. i like your advice. thanks

[@thecynic807]

You need a scythe for the bushes in your pasture. Joel uses a goose to protect his flock.

[@thecynic807]

Haahaa I wrote this before the video ended and right after I posted it you said that about a guard goose

[@thecynic807]

I'm think maybe you need a LGD since you got so many predators.

[@duett445]

Last year I lost 48 , 9 weeks old meat birds to a mink , or weasel or fisher, we are not sure exactly what you call them but the bugger got in to the chicken coupe through some loose chicken wire , just like you have, and killed all our birds a week before we were going to slaughter them. Extremely upsetting and a big financial loss. So those mink like creatures are the most difficult to protect the birds from.

[@simeonandalex]

Oh my. That is upsetting...

[@Theorimlig]

I don't know what you mean by staples in this case, but if you're talking about "häftklammer" you'll never get the netting to stay on the frames for the long haul. "Märlor" are what you need! Hope that's what you meant, kind of confusing when english has the same word for both types. :)

[@wrad2667]

Hi Simeon. I have a question for predator issues. You have never talked about marten and especially stone marten. We have many of them here and they are able to get into stables and through fences only using really tiny gaps. At least here in our area its much more difficult to keep marten out than foxes. What we use and what works really great are Livestock guardian dog's We have Landseer. They are totally familiar with all our animals. They are visiting our Chicken in the stable and on pasture without any issue but they are very watchful against intruders. I am convinced that they saved our animals more then one time. So i am wondering that i have never seen any dog on your farm?!

[@johncraftenworth7847]

Hi, correct english plural form of wolf is wolves, not wolfs. Also, the best cattle dogs come from Australia and New Zealand, where they are very serious about protecting cattle. Australian Shepherd or Blue Heeler (aka australian cattle dog). If the dog must go up against wolves, then I suggest a German Shepherd, these dogs ARE about half wolf in their breeding ancestry, are big and strong 100 pound dogs. Great job on the channel! Best wishes from Red River Valley bordering North Dakota and Minnesota. This is where all the swedes and the snobby norwegians settled!

[@nevisstkitts8264]

Kangals are one dog breed specifically bred for intelligence and strength sufficient to defeat large, aggressive predators. Usually, Kangals work together to protect the herd, so two or more can protect each other.

[@hazel555]

Just keeping a birds body safe isn't enough; even though predators may not be able to get in, they can come back nightly to terrorize the captives; I know from experience that the survivors of a predator attack are greatly traumatized; how much worse it would be for them as a nightly experience.

[@ruthferguson7438]

Put a 24/7 camera out for a week or more. Or two cameras, one on the cattle area too.

[@rickcessna2230]

What if you made your paddocks big enought for 2 days instead of one. then move them every other day. Just an idea to give them more room

[@edwardsdeacon]

Adding some livestock guardian dogs like Great Pyrenees, Tibetan mastiffs that stay close to your livestock and a couple that have spiked collars and will responded aggressively towards predators like Kangels will greatly reduce or eliminate your predator problems.

[@corrie9762]

I could not imagine having to worry about bears

[@MrVailtown]

Could your Dad move the chicken tractors like you do? Gonna build more , maybe your stile , ones now move with small tractor, there a winter/summer coup. Thinking more of summer meat bird coups next time. My system works, yours moves faster. However have disabilities that limits what I lift/ pull. Ty

[@mikem5475]

I'm hoping your farm does well and is not targeted by predators anymore. I appreciate the videos

[@nevisstkitts8264]

Wildlife behavior studies indicate that bears will remember a specific food location for ten years or more. The bear will incorporate each location check for its daily routes. They also remember the location of High Voltage fencing ...

[@toolsconsumables7055]

A full grown wild boar is quite a match for even a full grown lion, it's a formidable opponent, never mind a wolf. It's a remarkable animal considering it's bulk, it's also a fast runner. Unless it's partially sick, disabled or other impediment; I find hard to believe that a wolf would entertain taking on a healthy animal that might off too much of a challenge to it. Wolves like most predators are opportunistic but at the same time calculate the risk involved in harvesting such food source. A bear has no natural enemies; it's the wolf's nemesis. I hope your animals are ok. Consider yourself lucky that you've only lost half a dozen chicken. Foxes go into a killing frenzy when in a chicken coop; for just one to eat, they'll kill as many as opportunity allows them & then leave the rest. Take care & kind regards.

[@mozismobile]

I've hunted wild pigs using dogs (bull terriers), and even a 100kg boar can kill a dog quite easily. Pigs are smart and have nasty teeth. Smart is a problem for predators, pigs won't just run themselves into the ground, they'll run and hide and ambush. For wolves a big pig would be a very high risk target.

[@toolsconsumables7055]

Thank you for concurring with me. despite the fact that they are much maligned & treated as dumb animals. It's far from the truth. They don't go looking for trouble but when confronted with danger they are indeed a force to be reckoned with. As you rightly pointed out those tusks are what lion & leopards do their utmost to avoid knowing full well that they'll be cruising for a severe & possibly lethal bruising. Kind regards.

[@laurabunyard8562]

We have foxes, bobcats, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, raccoons, owls, red tail hawks and snakes.

[@oldtimeengineer26]

Things always happen on a farm but most are good but the bad does come.

[@Aethuviel]

European lynx, or Eurasian lynx. :) Bobcat is only one species of lynx, the "red lynx" as they're know here (rödlo). The lynx is the one thing we have in Europe that's way bigger than the American version (since our bears, moose and wolves all are petite compared to America).

[@norme3293]

Chickens: Why some are in the cage and some are in the open field? Can you do a video explaining the difference ? Thanks Simeon

[@Josh444mar]

How often do you move the chicken tractors?

[@greinhart88]

Is there a reason you don't give the cows a larger portion of the pasture and just leave them on it longer?

[@mihacurk]

Glad the fox didn't kill all of them. Just two days ago we've lost the whole pen (70 birds) because the fox tore a hole into the net. Killed all of them. I guess we'll have to put on some thicker welded wire to prevent that. Hope that works!

[@glendaruff125]

The birds sound like the movie "Birds".

[@billcleveland2983]

I think I would use a small strip of wood and screw it together on top of the chicken wire to your frame. Take care, Best of luck Your pasture looks nice and green.

[@yellowdeer7163]

I remember when Sally ran away last time. Maybe she put up a fight this time.

[@veng3r663]

Weasels my Dad's parents found out the hard way are HELL once they find a way inside of a closed chicken shed... T_T

[@peewees6199]

Do you ever go Elk hunting?

[@suemcfarlane4199]

With wolf and bears close to home you could use a Ltd to protect the kids when they are out playing I ve never seen any dogs in you videos I would want one to keep a eye on my kids

[@AquariumCop]

Awesome!!!!!!! TY

[@rickrhoton9012]

I lost a broody hen and her 5 chicks because I didn't close up the pen at night. I was so upset about it.

[@motorcycleparty]

for your predator problem you might want to consider a great peranes dog not spelled right but they are great for stock protection against all types of predators and are great with kids

[@kaboom362]

Little r LITTLE R aren't those dogs runners? Meaning don't they just keep moving once they're not fenced in. a friend of mine brought one to my property and wouldn't let him off the leash period he said the dog would just go away

[@motorcycleparty]

I have been around and worked with them had a coyote came into the yard at my friend ranch while I was house sitting and the dog ran it down killed it and then went right back to his look out spot. His name is Blizzard all white and he is friendly if you have been introduced but if you are a stranger do not enter.

[@superDiff123]

Who let the cows out? moo,moo, moo,moo.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Looks like Sally led another insurrection, lol.

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Haha

[@dancingwithnature5303]

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire.

[@KILLKING110]

do you have any guns for predator control?

[@RockyMtnGobblers]

I had a great horned owl get in my chicken coop, It killed multiple Birds removing their heads, all I found were the heads.

[@MadWiking]

You need to make your electric fencing wire more visible, as I mentioned earlier. Lay out a simple warning tape from Biltema. www.biltema.se/sv/Bygg/Farg-och-Fog/Ovrigt/Varningsband-2000021765/

[@StarrTrekn]

Instead of staples on the chicken tractors, why not just use pull ties? I'm going to have chickens for the first time next year so I'm doing a lot of research and listening to the good and the bad. I'm in Texas and there are predators here including fire ants and snakes. So yeah, lots and lots of research to see how I can protect the chickens (about 1-2 dozen) and still keep them happy and healthy.

[@the_guy7305]

nice video

[@suemcfarlane4199]

Are you sure your cows haven't written their own script for this video

[@EnGammalAmazon]

It's probably not fair to laugh, but the whole video on predators and cows getting out sounds so much like my childhood. The point you're missing is that cows can actually smell it when a fence falls down. Really! Our cows could all be at the barn and in an instant they would jump up, their tails would go straight up in the air and they would be in a line, nose to bung (as Dad used to say) and they would be headed straight for the hole in the fence. Being the oldest of four boys, many times I heard Mom yelling, "Mark! Get your boots on! The cows are headed out!!" Sure enough, we'd go running out and about half the herd would have already made it out of the lower pasture and headed south along the railroad tracks like a south bound freight! Damn they could move!!

[@gerrymarmee3054]

Interesting!

[@suemcfarlane4199]

Wolves might try a piglet but momma pig would have his guts for garters if she caught him

[@CliffLambson]

Nail/drill wood slats over your staples.

[@simeonandalex]

I have started to do that at some places...

[@paulgargan6134]

cows are just lucky