Guardians of the Flock

Well, we have only been home a month, but life certainly hasn't been dull.  We arrived home to find that the coyotes had killed at least two more nannies while we were gone, and we continue to find remains.  I think we have probably lost 12-15 head to coyote predation in the last 3 months.  I really became concerned when a large coyote followed Dutch out of the brush a couple of weeks ago while we were working sheep in the pasture below the house.  He didn't appear to be chasing him, and Dutch was focused on his sheep and never saw the beast.  I did, though, and whistled.  The coyote, which was about 75 yards away, just looked at me, turned and loped back the way he had come.  It's really frightening when they are bold enough to come out in the middle of the day.  

We had someone come out to try to call them up, but the coyotes weren't falling for it.  John and I discussed our options, and began looking for livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) that would protect our flock.

We were in luck, after talking to several friends about where and how to find one, Alison Holmes contacted me to say Victoria Long, another good friend, was looking to place one of her dogs that needed more acreage and livestock to protect.  Long story short, Max, a three-year-old Akbash will join us the end of this month.  His dam is Grace, from Charly Kronberger's line, and he was whelped by yet another good friend, Tina LaPlatt.  This is a very small world!  We are truly blessed.

But that's not the end of the story.  We lost another nanny just last week...this one was killed only 100 yards from our house and we never heard a sound.  Possibly it happened while I was in Austin for some day surgery.  These coyotes are getting very bold.  I spoke to our friend, Jack Christensen, about our increasing coyote problem.  Jack said he had three LGDs, but only needed two.  He offered to let me have Rooster, a two-year-old Anatolian Shepherd, which will give us the needed two guardians for our flock.

Rooster arrived last Friday, and spent the weekend penned with our sheep and goats.  This morning, I turned them all out and hoped Rooster had bonded with his flock.  He did some patrolling, then returned to the night pen where he has been staying.  I leashed him, and we went in search of the flock so he could understand they are now his responsibility.  As we approached the trees southwest of the house, we were met by the sheep and goats running toward us.  I knew what that meant and unleashed Rooster.  As the sheep and goats passed us, he took off like a shot in hot pursuit of the coyote that had just taken down a nanny.  I don't know if he caught it, but if not it won't forget the encounter.  He returned to his flock and moved them in the opposite direction of the coyote attack.  I think he now understands his job!  

Amazingly, the nanny survived.  When I reached her, she was motionless on the ground, but was breathing.  I didn't see any blood, and when I touched her, she opened her eyes.  By the time John arrived with the mule to take her back to here sisters, she was alert and trotted off to join the others.  Thank you God; thank you Rooster and thank you Jack and Vivian Christensen!