Unconventional Alternative Watchdogs
Unconventional Alternative Watchdogs
Keeping animals on your property, whether they be birds, rabbits, goats, sheep, cattle, horses, or any combination in between, will attract outside visitors. They might be small prey animals looking for a peaceful nibble of your livestock feed, or larger predators looking to make a meal out of your animals. You may want to consider getting a watchdog to protect your herd. Who better suited for the job then, well, a dog? You might be suprised to know there are a few unconventional alternative watchdogs that can also do the job.
Guinea Fowl make great livestock guards
Guinea Fowl
Guinea Fowl are incredibly noisy birds, and make excellent alarm systems. Fans of guinea fowl claim that they are able to recognize familiar faces, and will alert the arrival of any strangers. They are also incredibly brave, and are not phased one bit when standing up against cats, dogs, even people. One especially great quality of guinea fowl is that they will even take on snakes!
Geese are notoriously territorial
Geese
Anyone who’s ever met a goose knows that these birds are all business. They are alert, with keen eyesight and hearing, and can detect unwanted visitors quickly. They will sound the alarm, and honk loudly when they sense something suspcious, easily heard by even a sleeping human. Geese are also notoriously territorial, and aren’t afraid to stand their ground. Their first instinct is not to run, but to confront, and they will hiss and bite in defense.
Llamas will spit, scream, bite, and kick at intruders
Llamas
Llamas have been used to guard small flocks on farms for years, and farmers with a good guard llama will tell you they’re worth their weight in gold. Not all llamas will have great guarding instincts, but those that do will not only alert you to intruders, but handle the intruders all on their own. There are numerous accounts of llamas battling with coyotes, foxes, or dogs to protect their herds. It is advised to only have a single llama on guard, as having two means they will ignore the herd and just hang out with each other.
Donkeys make great guardians for sheep or goats
Donkeys
Donkeys are a great option for guarding grazing animals like goats or sheep, because they have very similar care requirements. Donkeys are the silent guard animal, and will rarely notify their humans of intruders. Instead, they will fiercely protect the herd themselves, using kicks and strikes with their hooves and bites with their large teeth. Not only are these territorial animals excellent for guarding, but they can also function as pack animals, making them useful in more ways than one!
Emus large size can be very intimidating to intruders
Emus
If you’re looking for something really exotic, how about getting an emu to guard your herds? Standing over 6 feet tall and weighing over 150 pounds, these birds are incredibly intimidating! They can run over 40 miles per hour, are extremely intelligent, and can deliver deadly kicks with their strong, powerful legs. Emus have sharp, strong feet that can claw predators like coyotes to death. Emus are friendly, but are smart and can sense when another animal enters their territory that doesn’t belong.