Livestock Guardian Animals

From dogs to donkeys, they can solve your predator problems.

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Which livestock guardian is best for your homestead? Learn what you need to consider with each one and what care livestock guardian animals take.

For years, Sara and Adam Bryda of BlueMoon-N-Farms in Massachusetts valiantly fought off an assortment of predators determined to chow down on the family’s goats, sheep, ducks and chickens. “The hawks were a nightmare, the foxes were chewing on the coops, and a bear was circling the fence lines,” Sara says. They tried lights, predator urine, taller fences and deeper wire, but to no avail.

Then, Trinity and Mara — a pair of female Great Pyrenees — entered the scene. Hawks? “Gone, they vanished overnight.” Foxes? “We still see their tracks now and then, but they mostly stay far, far away.” Bear? “It came by one night, and I heard an explosion of sound. I ran outside, but only saw it running away. Since then we haven’t had a bear issue,” Sara says. “The girls have kept these creatures away from the livestock when all other methods failed. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

Homesteaders like Sara are discovering the benefits of employing dogs, donkeys, llamas and other livestock guard animals. Fencing doesn’t always keep threats out, and many stock owners are reluctant to use poison or firearms. Looking after livestock can be especially problematic in regions where animal predators have shifted or expanded their ranges in response to changing climate or suburban sprawl.

While no protection plan is foolproof, agricultural studies report certain animals make extremely effective livestock guardians. As a bonus, this age-old arrangement is (usually) nonlethal to wildlife. To gain insight about the advantages and challenges of using animals for homestead security, we asked Mother Earth News readers to share their experiences. Here’s what they had to say.

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