Protecting Goats from Predators

Welfare and Protection from Predators

One of the most overlooked aspects of goat keeping is protection from predators. Most people think of goats as being fairly large animals that can fend for themselves, but adults will often fall prey to larger predators and predators that hunt in packs such as wild dogs and coyotes. Kids are suspectible to those same predators, plus many more, even including large birds of prey. it is important to make sure all goats are safely sheltered indoors from dawn to dusk and have good fencing during the day, preferrably with trees to help shelter them from overhead predators.

Never tether goats. A tethered goat is bait for any predator that lives in the area. Instead of tethering your goats, build them a proper fence, or if you need to move them around, use cattle panel sections or electric wire to create a barrier that you can move from place to place during the day. And supervise them or get them a guardian for protection.

Appropriate shelter and fencing is a key element to successful goat keeping.

Dogs, donkeys (preferably jennies because male donkeys are too aggressive with the animals they are supposed to protect), and llamas and alpacas can all serve as full-time guard animals, but the effectiveness of any of them will also depend on the bonding, training, instincts, and temperament of individual animals. All guard animals require an investment of time and money, and there is no guarantee that they will be successful.

Dog breeds specifically developed for flock protection (for example Great Pyrenees) should be used. Sometimes a single guard animal will not be enough to protect the livestock. Several guard dogs may be necessary to patrol larger areas or to better protect against packs of predators. A llama and guard dog combination can be trained to work cooperatively, but donkeys or llamas will not properly bond to livestock if more than one of their own species is present with the livestock. Rotational grazing can sometimes help, because the livestock are confined to a smaller area, allowing guard animals to be more effective.

Goat Predators

Some of the more common goat predators to guard against:

Domestic or feral dogs: Dogs are the worst predators of goats, attacking and killing more often than any wild animal and doing it for fun rather than because they’re hungry. A wild predator will typically only kill one animals every few days where neighborhood dog packs may kill several animals in one night. Dogs go after goats individually or in packs, with pack attacks being the worst. Dogs may either climb or dig under fences to get to goats. You can identify a dog attack because dogs usually go for a goat’s hind legs and rear end. Goats that are attacked by dogs, but aren't killed often have to be euthanized.
Coyotes: Eastern coyotes hunt individually, looking for weak members of a herd; western coyotes hunt in packs. You can tell the difference between a coyote attack and a dog attack because dogs chase and try to get as many goats as they can, while coyotes go for the throat and then try to get at a goat’s internal organs. They may even try to carry the animal away for safe eating.
Cougars (Mountain Lions) and Bobcats: Cougars hunt individually. They leave tooth punctures and claw marks on the upper torso when they attack a goat. They also have been known to drag their prey a distance away, bury it, and come back later to eat. Young kids are often the targets of bobcats, while cougars more often target larger animals. Cougars are capable of killing an entire herd of goats in one evening. A good livestock guardian dog will normally deter a cougar, unless it is very hungry and livestock dogs are sometimes killed by cougars, so it is always recommended to keep more than one livestock guardian dog with the herd.
Birds: Ravens and black vultures, particularly the federally protected Mexican vulture, sometimes attack goats, especially when goats are down from sickness or kidding in unprotected areas. Ravens peck an animal’s head and gouge out its eyes. Ravens attack in groups, which causes a problem for does trying to protect more than one kid. Some eagles, such as Golden Eagles, and Kias will also take small kids. The USDA recommends hanging a vulture carcass (real or fake) to deter vultures. Owls, eagles, and large hawks also may bother small kids, especially if they get separated from their mothers and cry. You can prevent losses to all types of birds by making sure your goats have safe, indoor kidding pens.

Other predators:

Wolves typically prey on larger livestock, but will attack and kill goats if they're available.
Foxes will attack goat kids.
Feral hogs will go after goats and kids. They are aggressive and uneasily deterred.
Bears are a common predator. After killing a female goat, or doe, a bear will often eat just the udders.

A sturdy fence combined with electric wire and shelter for the hours between dusk and dawn.

LGD keeps a close eye on a kid

A bobcat keeps a watchful distance

LGDs go on alert when birds of prey enter the area