Best Tactics to Deter the Cleverest Predator on the Farm

Farm Predators

Our farm hosts all kinds of predators: coyotes, foxes, hawks, raccoons, possums, snakes, skunks, and random unleashed dogs, just to name a few.

One neighbor claims he has seen the occasional black bear, but we haven’t… and hope we never do.

Because we enjoy raising chickens, we realized quickly the need to develop tactics to outsmart our boldest and cleverest predator: the coyote.
Our biggest menace.

Before you encounter a coyote, there’s some things you ought to know. 

Because if they’re not yet in your “neck of the woods,” they will be.

Coyotes are Wild Animals

It’s possible coyotes are living next door to you, or under your porch, or in your favorite woods, and you don’t even know it.

That’s what makes them special: they’re conniving, cunning, and smart.

They’re unpredictable and potentially dangerous; they’re predators as in something typically ends up injured or dead.

And if a coyote loses its fear of humans, it could potentially be a threat.

Coyotes are extremely territorial, mate for life, and will vigilantly guard their young and their food.

Although attacks on humans are rare, coyote attacks on small pets such as dogs or cats are happening with greater frequency around the country.

We tend to presume these attacks only occur because the coyote is hungry; attacks can also occur because coyotes perceive a threat to their territory.

Known to mark their territory with both urine and scat (their droppings), it’s easy to unknowingly walk your pets directly through coyote territory. 

Coyote Characteristics

What They Look Like

Coyotes have long pointy faces, black noses, large triangular ears, yellow eyes, and large bushy tails. They weigh approximately 20 to 50 pounds, depending on the food supply and their hunting ability. They are notoriously intelligent animals.

How do you distinguish a coyote from a dog, a fox, or even a wolf?

Typically, dogs run with their tails in an upright position, foxes (and wolves) with their tails straight out, and coyotes with their tails down (this little tidbit comes in handy when you can’t quite make out what type of animal it is on your property).

Hunting Habits

Coyotes hunt and eat small rodents such as voles and mice, squirrels, rabbits, snakes, birds, chickens and other fowl. If meat isn’t available, they will also eat fruit, such as apples, berries and some plants.

Unfortunately, household pets left outside such as small dogs or cats can be vulnerable to a hungry coyote.

Don’t be naïve thinking you only have to be concerned about coyotes when it is dusk or dawn.

Coyotes will hunt anytime —including broad daylight — if they are hungry.

“The Coyote is a long, slim, sick and sorry-looking skeleton…a living breathing allegory of Want. He is always hungry. He is always poor, out of luck, and friendless.”

    From 1872’s, “Roughing It,” by Mark Twain

After losing a large number of our chickens to coyotes, we knew we had to put in practice some tactics that would discourage coyotes from even wanting to visit us.

In other words, making our farm a less inviting and habitable place for them.

Making Your Space Less Inviting

Whether you’re rural or urban, coyotes are adapting to your landscape.  These tactics may help make your space less inviting:

• Never feed coyotes by providing food, intentionally or unintentionally. Don’t throw out table scraps, clean up after grilling, make sure all pet food is brought in and stored inside, and ensure that compost bins are tightly closed.Also, don’t store any garbage outside.
• Never try to interact with coyotes. If you encounter one unexpectedly, do not turn and run. Back away slowly, giving the animal room to flee. If a coyote comes toward you in a threatening manner, use loud noises to try to frighten it away. Throw rocks and stones. Fight back aggressively if it attacks.
• Use good fence design and fence construction to keep coyotes out. Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in — not to keep other animals out.Our fence for our chicken yard is five feet tall and made of woven wire. It’s great for protecting against predators, but weed control can be difficult.
• Install motion-sensitive lighting. This type of lighting can help keep coyotes and other wildlife at bay.
• Acquire Guardian Dogs. Our best tactic was to acquire two Great Pyrenees dogs who patrol and protect our livestock and us. Coyotes seem to know that Zeus is a god (that’s with a little “g”) and Xena, a “warrior” princess.Their persistent barking, monitoring and patrolling serve to deter coyotes. This was our best investment and most successful tactic. More about Zeus and Xena, our guardian dogs, in the next post.