If you live or work on a farm with livestock, it is likely that you know the dangers that coyotes can pose to your animals. Although a coyote’s natural prey is smaller game such as rabbits and other rodents, they are omnivorous and highly adaptive, so it is quite common for them to kill smaller livestock such as sheep and goats. It can be very hard to catch coyotes, so the best way to ensure the protection of your livestock is to know how to keep coyotes out of livestock enclosures. At Edge Wholesale Direct, we provide various solutions that can help people keep their animals and property safe from predators such as coyotes.
How to Protect Livestock from Coyotes
Coyotes may not pose a huge threat to humans, but they can be extremely dangerous to our livestock and even our pets. Knowing how to best protect a farm from coyotes is extremely important. Although guardian animals like big dogs, llamas, and donkeys can go a long way to deter less determined coyotes, packs of coyotes can still be a risk. The best deterrent is a good enclosure system to keep coyotes out. Some options for fencing to keep coyotes out of livestock fields include:
Woven Wire Fencing
The best fencing material for keeping coyotes out of a livestock enclosure is woven wire fencing. Coyotes have a tendency to slip through tensile wire fencing, wooden fencing, and any other fencing with gaps, so welded wire mesh or woven no-climb fences are a good solution. It is important to make sure that these fences hold tight to the ground so that coyotes cannot slip under them to access the field. It is also important to make sure that your fence is at least 6-feet tall, as coyotes can jump up to 5 feet in the air.
Electric Fencing
One of the best coyote-proof fencing options is electric fences. Hot-wiring a perimeter fence can really discourage a coyote from even attempting to get into the field, as long as the fence is still tall enough that the coyote cannot jump over it.
Seal Off All Gaps
In many pastures, it is common for there to be gaps and breaks at points where fence lines meet or at gates. Make sure that there are no gaps in your fence and that your gate is lined with wire mesh to avoid giving coyotes an access point.
If you need to find out more information about how to keep coyotes out of livestock enclosures, or if you would like to learn more about our farm fencing products, please contact Edge Wholesale Direct at 604-857-2436.