To Kill Or Not To Kill Small-Livestock Predators

One reader reflects on the pros and cons of letting small-livestock predators co-exist with homestead animals, including ways to

Reader Contribution by Amy Fewell
article image
by Adobe Stock/BGSmith

One reader reflects on the pros and cons of letting small-livestock predators co-exist with homestead animals, including ways to predator-proof your homestead.

It’s absolutely inevitable. At some point on your homesteading journey, you’re going to encounter a predator. But we’re often tasked with that age old question – do you kill the predator or “let nature take its course” and just try to perfect your security?

Maybe you’ve never asked that question and simply go on the “kill it” war path because that’s just what seems most common and advised. Or maybe you haven’t yet had to deal with predators and your farm is built like Fort Knox. (Good for you!) Either way, there’s really no right or wrong answer (unless it’s against the law). But here are a few things to consider before grabbing that gun without second guessing.

I want to stress that this blog post is about small livestock (chickens, rabbits, etc), not larger livestock. Though it could be applied to both. Often, the larger the livestock, the more your livelihood depends on the safety of your animals. This may mean that you  encounter larger predators in larger quantities (coyote/wolf and bear, for example), in which case, it’s extremely understandable that you must take matters into your own hands when necessary.

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