Bear attacks, cows fight back

[Gorignak]

THANKS GENE ...X10.....

We got our first Pyrenees when we recorded a video of a 6'+, 450lb+, boar Black Bear about 150 yards from the house. Well, we felt safe until we found a mountain lion track about 150 yards away on the other side of the hill. The Pyrenees work best in teams...AND FEMALES ARE BEST FOR SMALL STOCKHOLDERS..... SO ..... so, we were going to breed our female to a neighbor's beautiful, huge male.

We put her up one evening when she showed signs of going into heat. We would take her down the next morning..... Judy went out to hang up the laundry first thing .... the lines are about 20 fee from the kitchen door.

"Hey guys...somebody has a cow out....there is a big pile of cow crap under the clothesline." Judy's cup is always half full .... mine is always half empty.

I knew immediately what my son would find when he went to look.....Upon inspection (ugh) ..... well, it was probably a 300 lb bear. There is no more eerie feeling than walking up on a steaming pile of bear crap on a cold October morning, deep in the woods.

That video is an eye opener......

[lakeportfarms]

We sold a bull calf to a family in Indiana this summer, he was about 8 months old. A few weeks ago they wrote and told us he had been attacked by a large cat (bobcat?) He had a swipe across his forehead but no other injuries. I would guess the bull was probably 300 lbs at the time. No doubt he charged the cat and tried to butt it. This cat has already taken out several dogs, chickens, domestic cats, etc. around the area. Cattle are tough critters!

[bluegranitefarm]

Those are great photographs! I never am lucky enough to have a camera with me or quick enough to remember I can take pictures with my cell phone. earlier this summer our momma cow Olivia engaged a bear on the edge of her field. Our Irish Terrier spotted it first, barked an alarm, then ran for the safety of the house. The bear was in the woods edge sort of standing up peering out. Olivia and the bear stared at one another for a few moments - then the bear made a movement. At this point Olivia charged across the field (maybe 50-75 feet away). Annan the bull followed her at a safe distance. The bear took one look at angry momma cow coming at him and turned tail and ran! Just another day in the life of a Dexter cow!

[hollydzie]

Do most of you keep a livestock guard dog? We have been considering it. We do not have bear. We have bobcats, FL panthers, and alligator. I also worry about stray dogs. Have you had much trouble with stray dogs? There are a lot of FL Hog dogs in our area. And last but not least coyote

[Gorignak]

My greatest regret of our 40 years of rural homesteading is not having a Pyrenees sooner.A FEMALE Pyrenees is so personable and dedicated ..... Well, I got one and immediately got two more. Males are more suited to 300 acres or more. Males roam farther

We have bear, coyotes,fox, bobcats in huge numbers...and mountain lions that pass through regularly. Over the years, it was not unusual to lose 30 chickens in a week....MANY,MANY,MANY times.
Since we got our Pyrenees......I HAVE NOT LOST A SINGLE CHICKEN. That is now going on 3 years. They sit on high spots and watch the cattle all day.

Pyrenees are wonderful friends, and a joy to own.

[wvdexters]

I have never been around Pyranees. Are they good with children? How much acreage does a female need? We have 16 acres, and a few neighbors.

We have bear, coyote, fox, bobcat and strays here. The DNR keeps telling us we don't have mt. lion but neighbors are seeing them in the area. DNR says alot of things. A few years back they said we "needed" coyote and "planted" a few breeding pairs around. Now, a few years later, they are everywhere. Killing lambs, chickens and anything else.

We had a big male bear bear in the yard a few years back. Don't laugh but my 4lb peek-a-poo stood toe to toe with him. Scared me to death. They bear just stood there looking at her not sure what to do. Then my old farm dog Liz heard the noise and ran him off good. We found little Emma hiding under the truck after everything was over. She was scared by all the commotion not the bear.

I am concerned about something bothering the heifers. Especially next spring when the calves arrive. They will be so small. Someone is usually around but there are times when no one is here. That is one of the reasons I like the horns.

We have a farm dog. Daisy is a lab/germ shep cross (mutt). She keeps things back. We can hear them but don't usually seen anything. She is 2 yrs now and is becoming protective which is good. I know she would try but if something really went after them she would not be able to stop them. We do lose chickens now and then and have to keep them penned.

Oh yeah!! Love the photos. It goes to show... Don't mess with the ladies. Especially an angry Mama.

[hollydzie]

Since we live in FL the Pyrenees have to much hair it get so hot here. They have cross bred them with Anatolians which give them a shorter coat. Gorignak, did yours come trained or did you work with her? I want to be able to put them with the chickens too, so I may need to look at an adult.

There are several breeds listed under livestock guardian dogs if you google it.

[dexterlady]

I know when we had our goats ,we had two guard dogs , one was a female, half GP / Anatolian .The other was a purebred GP...They were both good dogs, and loved the goats...I never lost one goat to and preditors and we do have coyotes, racoons, foxes, and other critters...I noticed the female was much more alert than the male, he preferred to stay and play with the baby goats, he just loved them...The baby goats would jump all over him and he never raised a brow....He was one of their launching pads...It was so much fun to watch....The male would stay with them during the day and the female at night....She loved those goats too...The older goats really loved having the dogs in the pen with them...But some of the momma goats would try to ram her if she got too close to their babies...But it sure was cute to see a lot of the babies curl up beside the dog and go to sleep...
So if I were to ever get another guard dog, it would definitley be a female half GP/ Anatolian cross....They are wonderful dogs....

[redbluffdexters]

We have a male Great Pyrenees that we rescued. He was 2 and weighed all of 60 pounds soaking wet. He's up to 120 now at 5. He was NOT raised around any kind of livestock but we put him in the 1 acre garden/orchard/chicken area to see how he'd do. He's fantastic with the chickens! The only complaint he has with them is if they get into his shed and eat his feed. Then he runs them out but otherwise he doesn't bother with them at all. He's taken to his job with all seriousness. He's very protective of my 5 yr old daughter but he's very patient with her too. Shortly after we got him, he was snoozing in the shade and she just went and laid down on top of him! He barely moved. We clip him short twice in the summer (Late April and late July) due to the awful Texas heat. It makes a huge difference in his comfort level (much slower to no panting, less digging for cooler ground). Our only problem has been fencing. We have a 5 strand electric fence up with 3 wires 18 6 6 at the bottom for him and then 2 wires higher up spaced to keep the horses out. We have an impossible time keeping the weeds out of it and he has learned to dive thru it flat out. He has such a thick coat that it doesn't even touch him. So until we can put up 1"x2" mesh (chickens/dog in), he's on a run in the shade during the day and tethered at the chicken coops at night. He absolutely will not tolerate foreign dogs on the place AT ALL. He becomes a snarling, slobbering mass of vicious teeth. He once chased a stray female Pyre right into our tank into about 2' of water and kept her there. (wish I'd have kept HER) we've had poultry 3 years now and have not lost a single one to the local skunk, possum, raccoon, bobcat, coyote, mountain lion, hawk, and sizable feral housecat population. I do wish I had a female to go with him b/c our coyote packs come up close but "free" or "cheap" hasn't happened yet! I fully intend for him to guard our Dexters at night when they come along! I think he's taller than weanlings!