Does having a large dog deter coyotes/fox around the farm?

[rockymouse]

Our dogs - a Russell terrier and a Mountain cur/Catahoula cross - do not appear to dissuade coyote activity at our place, except within the confines of the fenced yard. And we hear coyotes nightly. One picked up my chicken and trotted off just a few weeks ago at 10 in the morning.

Had the donkeys not been penned for breakfast, they would’ve murdered that coyote. They are hell on canids. I once looked out the window to see the horses grazing, but the donkeys on red alert. A stray Labrador was snaking through the pasture, eyes on the chicken pen. The donkeys waited until he was good and close, then charged and ran that sucker through 20 full acres of pasture before he slipped under the fence and disappeared.

So…I vote for donkeys. Get two - they like their own kind and they are hardy and cheap to feed. (And also hilarious.) Ours have never bothered the cats. Occasionally I’ll see one pin its ears at a cat, and the cat simply scoots along out of the way.

[beowulf]

In my neck of the woods, no.

We have three large breed dogs actively on the farm. Their presence does not at all deter coyotes from visiting. I see them routinely on hacks, and also occasionally catch the younger or freshly displaced ones mousing in our grass field.

Coyotes and foxes won’t avoid your yard/farm simply because there are scent markings or droppings there. They’ll just wait until the dog (and its human) is inside to check the area. If people are noticing a decrease in coyote visitations while they’re outside, just put up a trail cam overnight – you’ll see them come back.

Collecting the cats prior to dusk and keeping them in at night is the safest alternative, in my experience. The foxes are unlikely to present a risk, but coyotes love cats for dinner.

[Cat_Tap]

I used to think that my Bouvs would keep the coyotes away but unfortunately one of my little cats was killed right by the pool at night. There were dirty prints on the diving board, a larger planter was knocked over and there was a tuft of coyote hair so I knew what happened to the poor kittie.

[baybrio]

@NaturalSelection

I have wondered about the donkey idea! But would they be effective cat protection across 30 ac if they were limited to the horse pastures (10ac)? And our horse pastures stay lush enough through rotation/maintenance that my horses are on the drylot half the time since they get too fat!

My two standard donkeys, purchased to deter coyotes, do their job - in the dry lot where they live because the little pudgies can’t be on grass most of the time.

On the bright side maybe your cat will stay up near the dry lot. I bought my donkeys because I was losing ducks and chickens to coyotes. It worked because the coyotes were actually coming through the dry lot to get to the ducks. Warning though, the donkeys maimed a coyote and we had to have a hunter put it out of it’s misery. For some reason I was under the impression the donkeys would just chase the coyotes away.

A large dog that is not out patrolling the area where your cats are will probably not help in the long run. Coyotes are very adaptable and will figure out the dog marking scent is not a threat. Livestock guardian dogs work because they back up their warnings with action.

[skydy]

I have seen (and heard) a fox kill a cat 2 times, both at night. It was horrible. I wouldn’t count on them leaving cats alone, especially if they have a litter to feed.

[Weezer]

My dogs are in a fenced-in yard. We often see a fox hunting a few hundred feet away in the horse field and it doesn’t pay attention to the dogs because it knows they can’t chase it. The coyotes frequently pass by close to the house at night but we rarely see them during the day and they seem to spook when the dogs bark. But we have so many coyotes around here that I wouldn’t let any dog out unfenced between dusk and dawn.

[walkers60]

As some of you know from other posts I have been looking for a dog since losing mine last year to old age.
Finally a 4 yr old Rody needed a new home because he was chasing the landlords cows. I don’t have cows nor do my neighbors and he had ben used to horses.
He has been here about 3 weeks, a big adjustment for all of us as he is big 95 pounds and pure muscle. Since his arrival the squirrels, rabbits, and unwanted feral cats have all left. The nightly howling of coyotes is over. This new dog is a sweet love in the house but outside he has a serious prey drive and a very deep growl.He is very athletic and easily jumped a 5 foot fence.
So can I prove he has made the coyotes move on , of course not but seems like the local wild animals have spread the word and are now detouring around the farm .
They had moved in after we lost our Rody but seems like words out now.