by 
Hello Friends,
November was beautiful. However, we had our first predator attack in 3 years. It was pretty bad, but not as bad as it could have been. Details on the attack below (as a warning, there is a censored image at the bottom of the email).
I have stocked ShopShepherdess.com with Farmer-Made and USA-made gifts for Christmas… Thank you for supporting the shop!
-
Raising Sheep Book Bundle (3 Books)$107.00 -
The Shepherdess DELUXE Library Bundle (9 Books)$341.00 -
Shepherdess Head Gear (3 options)$18.00 – $49.00
We had enough grass to graze through November! The drought really cut back on my stockpile this year. I am currently feeding hay as the winter grasses get a head start.
The predator attack was pretty nasty. They killed a ewe overnight and left nothing but skin and bones by the morning. This was the first attack in 3.5 years (the flock spends 24/7 on pasture). We have tight fencing and a mama cow that runs K9’s out of the paddock. However, I moved the cows to my grazing lease 10 days before this attack. I also found areas where the dogs had dug under the fence.
“What about a guardian dog?” I had a really bad experience with my first dog (he bit, chased, and acted in a predatory way toward new lambs). I am open to the idea of a mature/proven guardian dog, but will probably not start with a puppy again. Email me if you have leads.
As a result of the attack, the flock will be spending nights in our gated shelter.
Until next time… Thank you for your support!
-the Shepherdess
“He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.”
We have had good luck with a jenny. They are very tertitorial.
Just another thought.
You might check with Greg Judy or Bill Costanzo. I saw an interview online with Aaron Steele asking Bill, who studies LGD at Texas A and M. Hope that is helpful.
Have you thought of using a jack or a llama?
On a small place with electric all around you might want to try intermittent lights on fence posts. It has been a while since I read about this concept so you may have to google it yourself, but the premise is that the predators see lights and leave as they think the lights are cars or humans with flashlights.
I hope you get this resolved as I’d hate to see you take away from the continuous rotation system.
From what I have read from other farmers, predators are a very present menace for flocks. Here on my island we fortunately don’t have any and stray dogs are also a rarety so I can only begin to understand how can they affect the farm. All the best and I hope the attack will not be repeated.
Have you heard of Greg Judy on YouTube? He’s doing what you are doing. sheep, cattle and guard dogs. You can buy guard dogs from him whenever he has any.
Subscribe to him if you haven’t. He’s very popular. and in the same league as Joel Salatin