Livestock guard animals live with the flock, protecting the sheep from predation, without harming or interfering with the flock. Guard animals currently being used with sheep include specially trained dogs, llamas and donkeys.
Guardian dogs, llamas, and donkeys have all used successfully to prevent or reduce predation in sheep flocks. At the same time, not all guardian dogs, llamas, and donkeys make suitable guadians. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of guardian.
Maremmas are the most commonly used LGA in Australia, used to protect mainly sheep but also other animals such as goats and poultry.
These animals have been used to protect domesticated species including sheep and poultry, in countries such as South America, Australia and the United States of America against predators such as foxes [4].
Depending on personalities, circumstances, and your set-up, housing sheep with larger species such as cows, pigs, or equines could pose a safety risk to sheep, but there's more than just size differences to consider.
Chickens and sheep typically get along. They simply ignore each other, although chickens sometimes perch on top of sheep and try to scratch through their wool. Lambs are sometimes curious about chickens and may try to chase or butt them, but this behavior usually is not a problem unless the chickens are cornered.
Industry research has shown time and again that not only can sheep and cattle graze together, but also that this type of grazing program can improve the quality of your pasture – particularly if you're grazing the ideal number of animals in a well-designed multi-species grazing program.
Yes, llamas are elite fox chasers. They bond with sheep, alpacas, goats, deer, and even poultry, guarding them from predators. Once they establish a paddock as “their territory” it is instinctive for them to rid their paddock of foxes.
Alpacas also chase unwanted wild grazing animals like kangaroos from small grazing paddocks.
Guardian donkeys
Donkeys are aggressive towards predators and may provide indirect protection for domestic animals. They are most successful in protecting livestock in small and level pastures, where the donkey can see all or most of the area from one location.
There are many old-world guardian dog breeds like Great Pyrenees from France, Maremmas from Italy, and Akbash and Anatolian Shepherds from Turkey, to name a few. They have several traits in common. First, they are all large. Most often, they are of light color.
Like the other livestock guardian breeds on this list, the Kuvasz is a large, powerful dog. The white coat, often seen among dogs that were developed to guard sheep and goats, helps them blend in with their flock.
Common herding breeds include the Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Australian Kelpie, New Zealand Huntaway, and Australian Cattle Dog. Other breeds with herding instinct include Corgis and Shetland Sheepdogs. The most popular breed of herding dog in the U.S. is the Border Collie.
The sheep are not afraid of a well trained sheepdog; the fact that they sometimes stop to eat grass does show a lack of concern, but the handler would much rather they get to the finish and eat grass there!
Application: Sheep: Electrified hard fencing is recommended for all small protectable areas that have sheep. Open range night penning of sheep in portable electric net fenced areas or fladry fences in areas of wolf use is highly recommended. Even with herders present, fladry may reduce depredation risk.
Kangaroos are not very afraid of predators, except for people and dingoes.
#3 You need to rely mainly on 'unpalatable' plants.
Plants with oily or fragrant foliage. Plants with high oil content (including some which have fragrant foliage) include species of Eremophila, Prostanthera, Westringia, Eriostemon, and Myoporum appear almost totally unpalatable to 'roos.
Other than humans, dogs – including large pets and dingoes – are the main predators of kangaroos. Dogs usually operate in packs to attack and kill kangaroos by running them down. Kangaroos avoid attacks by maintaining vigilance, giving warning foot-thumps and fleeing to safety.
Raising alpacas with sheep is not recommended. In certain geographical areas, alpacas are often used as protection of sheep, but this does not come without issue. From bulling and mounting to copper sensitivity and overexposure, comingling brings risks. Sheep and alpaca share common illnesses, parasites, and bacteria.
The instinct for alpacas to bond with other grazing animal herds, and especially their proven ability to protect sheep and goats, has resulted in the growing use of pairs of wethered adult male or pairs of female alpacas as sheep flock guardians – especially during and after lambing and kidding.
While alpacas are gentle, intelligent and extremely observant animals, they harbor a natural, in-built aggression towards members of the canid family including coyotes, foxes and wild dogs. And what better way to put this natural aggression to good use than to employ alpacas as guard llamas. Yes, this is a real thing.
Typically, a rangeland manager (like me) would suggest that one cow equals five sheep in terms of stocking rate; in other words, for every five sheep a rancher adds to a pasture, he or she would have to remove one cow.
Slaughter. Most lambs/sheep are slaughtered at 10 weeks to 6 months, though some may be 14 months old.
(1997) successfully produced cow-sheep hybrid embryos by fertilizing bovine oocytes with ram semen in vitro. But goat-sheep hybrids, are much more common. There are also old news reports about sheep-cow hybrids.