“Coyotes
account for 65 percent of all cattle and calf losses to predators and 61
percent of sheep and lamb predation (ADHIS.usda.gov) Wildlife Services (a
program within the USDA’s and Animal and Pant Health Inspection service). “
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| Quinny gotten by a coyote |
We have four calves. They started out with rough lives
either by the mother dying or not wanting them. One of them we bottle fed since
birth. The other three we bottle fed when the mothers didn’t want them.
You can look at it the way of money. Each bottle fed calf is
between 500-600 dollars and that’s only because they aren’t even weaned from
their mothers and need supplements for months. So 600 times 4. Then you add all
the grain and formula to each cow. We were feeding them 26 bottles a day. I
went out in the morning and night when they were bigger. When I first got
Minnie she was only a day old so we fed her every 3 hours around the clock. We
give them all grain everyday which is 10 dollars a bag. I am sure you can see
the numbers adding up here. Its an investment for sure. Especially when you are
already feeding 4 teens but all their friends. These calves were for us to have
for our family, produce more calves or help sell for college funds.
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| Quinny and Tulu before we left |
Then there is me…..I love my animals. They are my babies. I
talk to my calves. I pet them. I give them probably too much grain because they
love it. I take a million pictures of them so I can see them grow. They think I
am their mom. They run to me when they see or hear me. They follow me around
the yard when I am doing other chores. They all have names….they are my babies.
Yes I know they are calves but to me it like a family pet too. I have put a lot
of time and energy so they are raised well and growing. They are gentle and all
our nieces and nephews and friends kids can just walk up and pet them without
being scared.
We went camping for two days. Came back to mayhem. We double
checked that everything had been fed and watered while we were gone. Which they
were. As I walked over to the normal spot and called for my cows they weren’t coming.
I went over to check on the pigs and then a yard away I see this.
I cried immediately Quinny was gone…..called for Ryan. He said,”oh
no coyotes” and we started to search for the others. All the kids had
flashlights, driving quads as we searched and searched. The calves never stray
far from the house. We found Tulu hiding
behind the hay bales. She was bit all around her neck, her face, her back leg
and her ear was missing. She was alive! I don’t know how she stayed alive. My
husband picked up this 100+ pound calf to get her into a horse stall so we
could doctor her up, keep her from danger of anything trying to come back after
her. She won’t be able to move much in there but we can doctor her up till she
is better. We just prayed she made it through the night.
After 30 minutes we finally found RJ and Minnie. My panic
subsided as I saw they were well. They had gone as far as I ever seen them go
through hiding in a corner by the fences. They were our older bigger calves by
2 months.
I think the only reason the coyotes didn’t get Tulu after
getting Quinny was because we have dogs that probably scared them away. The dogs are always around the calves and we
have never had any problems. The dogs usually keep the coyotes away. We have
been hearing coyotes come closer and closer. They are definitely hungry if they
are coming this close to our homestead. Our neighbors have been having big
coyote problems too with their sheep. The coyotes went after the two youngest
because they are weaker ones.
I am so sad. We have been doctoring Tulu and she is
surviving thankfully. We have washed each wound, gave her antibiotics, sprayed
all the wounds to keep flies away and so she will heal. We even are giving her electrolytes
to keep her hydrated. She is getting better and I hope she is going to survive.
I know that coyotes have their place in the world but I
personally don’t like them one bit. They don’t have a place around me, my kids
or my animals. If they are brave enough to come up to the house that is not
okay with me.
Here are some more facts so we can be educated on coyotes.
1.
Coyotes may only weigh 35 to 50 pounds but their jaws can exert
more than 300 pounds of bite pressure.
2.
Veterinarian bills, lower rebreeding rates, and loss of weight
gain are all part of the indirect costs suffered by herds that have been hunted
by predators
3.
Coyotes kill $2- to $3 million dollars’ worth of livestock a
year
4.
Coyotes are not eating the entire animal, they are just eating
the prime parts and leaving the rest of the carcass to rot.
5.
They will eat the afterbirth right out of a cow that is calving.
If hungry enough will eat the calf as its coming out. In most cases you lose
the mother and the calf.
6.
Coyotes will lure domestic dogs out to them and kill.
7.
Coyotes kill for food, to teach pups and for fun.
We are taking precautions to help protect our animals.
Please understand this is ranchers livelihoods and also to some of us our pets.
These are the animals that you feed your children with. It’s a sad loss for
everyone. We are really saddened by the
loss of Quinny and pray that Tulu makes it. Here is a picture of them right
before we left for two days to go camping.
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