Homestead mailing list

["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

On 2/18/07, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:
> Quite right. Hawks do have to eat if they are to live. Homesteaders
> typically put the feeding of themselves and their families ahead of
> predators. I think this is the first time a homestead list member has
> said they are okay with losing livestock to predators.

I expect a small amount of predation. However, when my chickyard
became the local smorgasbord (one day I came home early to see Mama
Coon traipsing home with her brood of half-grown young, and then later
I stepped out to see what was driving the guineas into a frenzy and
came face to face with a coyote with a fine, fat hen in her jaws) I
acquired Louie the Anatolian. I had not been bothered with any
predators when I had Komondorok (and mastiffs before that). Louie has
performed as advertised.

I wouldn't shoot a hawk or owl. They eat a lot of mice. I have been
known to go out and talk to a hawk who sat in the tree overlooking my
chicken yard.

Coyotes sound awful, and I've heard some terrible stories of people
losing lambs, kids, and small pets, but I'm betting they mostly eat
small things, like mice and voles and maybe even moles. They *are*
getting rather large around here. My sister saw one this week that she
mistook at first for one of my mother's rather large dogs. The ones
I've seen have been taller than GSDs but my leaner and rangier.

On the whole, however, shooting predators doesn't generally do much
except give the shooter some satisfaction.

Marie