Welcome Josh!

We havn't too many large predators here, just a handful of bears, coyotes & foxes. So far no encounters with the bears, thank goodness. To do it full time the pressure must be on in your area!

What kind of goats do you raise?
Brendasue

Josh,
Anyone with two boys aged 8 and 10 does not have a simple life!
What breed of layer hens do you have? My husband and I have a very small farm here in Central Texas, and he keeps bees and I have a small flock of Black Australorps for eggs. We also have two vegetable gardens, just for ourselves and friends and neighbors to share, and two herb gardens.
We're looking forward to hearing more about your farm, your sons and your crops and flocks and herds.

Welcome Josh! Sounds like you have a lot going there. :) I live in suburban Los Angeles and have a flock of backyard chickens and a few fruit trees, but want to have a place with more land someday. I'm planning on putting in a raised vegetable garden next Spring.

Just out of curiosity, what happens to the predators that you trap? If you release them, how far away do you have to take them so they don't simply come back? Also, what happens if you happen to get a protected animal?

I've always wondered about this kind of stuff... :)

Velvet ~:>

Welcome Josh.

I have a 20 acre farm outside Buffalo, NY. I grow, sell and hybridize daylilies as a "hobby", currently have 400+ named cultivars and 100+ seedlings. My farm is home to 3 miniature donkeys, 2 silly dogs, and too many cats to think about.

I'm also interested in hearing more about predator trapping. What kinds of predators?

We have coyotes, bear and bobcats that I know of ...

Pam

I meant to add, since we are in a landlocked, suburban backyard with tons of cinderblock fences, the only predators we get are hawks (Sharpshin and sometimes Red Tails), possum, skunks, housecats and vermin such as rats/mice. Luckily our yard is protected by a strong enough and high enough fence to keep out dogs.

But since southern California is covered in fruit trees, especially citrus (it seems to be an unwritten law that if you live here you MUST have a citrus tree in your backyard), they really attract nighttime feeders such as rats, possum and skunks. So even if you don't have a rat problem in your yard and keep things very clean, they come around anyway, they are just so pervasive throughout the area. Plus the cinderblock fences and telephone lines are like little vermin freeways. :(

I always find it interesting how much diversity we have on this forum--everything from backyard hens & vegetable gardens to full-on working farms with hundreds of acres of land and every farm animal under the sun. :) It seems the urge to farm is a strong one no matter where you live! :)

Velvet ~:>

Well , hi everyone , lots of questions.
My goats are a motely ctrew of dairy, meat, and scrub goats thrown in and jumbled up, believe it or not, unless your in the purebred market they bring more money that way, as far as the meat market goes.
Same with my hens , I buy large (several hundred chicks) mixed lots from the hatchery and get a discount, I have representitives of every breed. One thing I love about animals is that they dont care about breed or color, humans could learn something there.
As far as predator trapping, alot goes on as far as deciding the fate of the animal. I take that responsibility very seriously. Im a farmer, trapper, and hunter, I love a good steak and a fur hat. But I do not take lightly the taking of a life. I believe we humans do not own these animals, no, our creator says he knows every sparrow that falls. But when a animal loses its natural fear of humans for whatever reason and starts into killing livestock , generaly the only responsible thing for me to do is destroy it. Unless I can get written permission from a wildlife refuge park manager to release it there. But that is species specific. For example raccoons are so heavily populated and are carriers for several zoonotic diseases it would be irresponsible to release them. Population densities are so high that carrying capacities in most places are exceded. But bobcats here on the other hand are not heavily populated, and are realitively disease free and I generaly will go out of my way to release them, as to foxes. Protected species in Indiana are bobcats, otters, and badgers. Trap selection, common sense, and non lethal traps go a long way to avoiding non target catches. But they do happen. When they do rarley is the animal hurt, I check traps everyday, And so they are released or relocated. If for some unavoidable circumstance they are dead I contact the DNR and they come inspect and take possesion of the animal. I also trap for fur during the winter. The state biologist keeps track of population trends and sets trap dates accordingly. The goal is to take the percentage of the fur bearer population that would not make it thru winter anyhow. In general 30 percent or more of the common furbearers, raccoons, possum, skunk, fox, and coyote for example do not make it thru winter. So trapping and removing this portion and removing them humanely makes it easier for the rest.
My family and I praise the creator for the priveledge to live from the bounty of his creation. We try to do so while giving the dignity and respect that this earth deserves.
Josh

Welcome Josh,

I must say that I wish that all predator trappers and hunters had the same philosophy as you do. I have a great respect for what you wrote above!

I live on a small farm in SW NH. My barn is full with two Morgan horses, two white donkeys, two Pygmy goats (we will be ready if we need to fill an ark!)and a flock of chickens. We have small predators like fox and coyote none of which have ever given me any trouble. We also have bears, bobcats and cougars and so far we all manage to live together. Unfortunately, mankind is encroaching upon their habitat at an alarming speed. Our intention is to be the best possible stewards that we can be on our little patch of 15 acres.

Hi Josh,

Just wanted to thank you for your reply to my post yesterday about the RIR hens tail feathers. My family of 8 share in your praise of our creator. We love waking up everyday and looking out the window to see the sights he has blessed us with (Deer, turkey run wild and farm fields surrounding). I am new to farming but have always wanted to live a in the country on a nice peice of land, have some animals and have a crop to harvest. Anyway, I'm also new to this site and wanted to say welcome and God bless you and your family!

Steve in NJ

Thanks Josh, great explanation and I like your philosophy.

Pam