Predator Defense

I am wondering what is necessary and helpful to protect these little goats from predators. We have 2 young wethers- just picked them up today. We do not have a dog. They have a 4 foot fence around their house. Do we need to have the area lit up all night? Can we put a gate/door on the house and keep them in there at night. We have a 2 year old and do not want to get an electric fence. We want to protect out little guys and are open to ideas. We looking for budget freindly solutions, since my husband went a bit over board on their house and fence. Thanks in advance for your help. Crystal

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  • Our neighbor 1/3 mile down the road has only a woven wire fence, and she hasn't lost any goats to coyotes. She did, however, lose her little mini pinscher to them, so they're around. Coyotes also spend a lot of time around our house and have eaten a lot of lamb, as well as one kid. The kid went through the fence.

    Leaving on a light doesn't deter coyotes, so don't bother adding that. If you want to add a door to their house and lock them up at night, you can. That would make them 100% safe, as long as predators couldn't dig their way into the shelter.

    You didn't mention where you live, and we only deal with coyotes. If you have bear or mountain lions, this becomes much more challenging. I'm not sure what people do when they have to deal with them. I've heard that bears are respectful of electric. With woven wire already in place, you could just add a string of electric across the top, where your toddler can't reach it.
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