The problem

Sheep and goat producers are constantly having to watch their livestock, especially the babies for predators that are looking for an easy meal.  Part of raising small ruminants like sheep and goats is keeping predators like coyotes from reducing the flock. Two ways of keeping the coyotes in check is to trap them or to use guard animals to keep them away or kill them.  Trapping takes some experience and knowledge of how and where to set traps.  Guard animals can be dogs or donkeys.  There are many different breeds of animal guard dogs to choose from and can be quite difficult to decide which breed fits your needs.

The educational program response

Multiple County Extension Offices came together to present a program centering around predator control by trapping or the use of guard animals.  Expert trappers were invited to put on a program specifically on how to trap coyotes.  These trappers demonstrated different types of traps and how they work.  They showed how to set and where to place the traps to be the most effective against coyotes.  There were also guard dog breeders there to display and talk about different dog breeds used as guard animals.

The participants/target audience

The program was open to the public but was mostly targeted toward producers that had sheep, goats or other small ruminants.  

Other partners (if applicable)

Partnering in this program was SEKPA - Southeast Kentucky Sheep Producers Association, Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office and Kentucky State University Small ruminant specialist.

Program impact or participant response.

There were approximately 40 producers in attendance.  One hundred percent of the participants stated that they gained a greater knowledge of how coyotes hunt their prey and how that relates to trapping them.