If you want to go to great lengths of time, you know how downright ornery they can be, especially the bucks. They can be so recalcitrant it’s hard to believe any other animal would even want to be near them, but the reality is that goats have quite a few predators you’ll need to contend with.

And I’m not just talking about baby goats, either: there are plenty of carnivorous animals that would love to make a good meal out of an adult. In this article, I’ll be telling you about the goat predators you’ll need to watch out for, and also giving you some tips to hopefully keep them at bay.

Coyotes

Far and away the number one killers of goats are coyotes, taking nearly dozens of thousands ofdomestic goats yearly. These nocturnal critters prowl around all night, but they might be out looking for an easy score as dawn approaches.

Coyotes are clever, quick, and very careful hunters. They can easily pick off an isolated adult to be eaten on-site, or drag off a kid. Sometimes other goats in the herd are none the wiser! Sounds impossible, but it’s true…

Coyotes typically kill goats by biting the throat and asphyxiating them; the small breeds and babies will be taken out by one or more bites to the skull and neck.

The best way to ID a coyote attack, assuming you don’t catch them in the act, is to look for a messy carcass that consists of broken, chewed bones and roughly scattered fur and skin.

If you see what looks like dog tracks leading to and away from your property, it could possibly be a coyote.

The best way to protect your herd against coyotes is to keep them behind tall fences that coyotes cannot easily jump over, but you have to protect against digging, also, by sinking the fence into the ground or employing a moat of gravel and larger stones. The gravel or the fence should go into the ground at least 12 inches (30 centimeters).

Domestic Dogs

As sad as it is to hear, dogs are another major goat predator. Whether they are escaped pets that have gone a little crazy with hunger or just giving in to their ancient instincts that drive them to chase, or roaming packs of feral dogs, they are going to be a huge problem for your herd.

Domestic dogs, across all circumstances, kill around 26,000 goats every year.

It’s gruesome, but a dog attack, especially multiple, doesn’t look like an attack from coyotes: owing to selective breeding for hunting, livestock herding, and more, domestic dogs tend to attack the limbs, ears, face, and hindquarters of goats.

They also tend to thrash and tear more than coyotes, and this makes for a particularly protracted and gruesome death for a poor goat.

The good news, if you want to call it that, is that goats tend to survive domestic dog attacks more than attacks from any other wild animal.

Protect your animals from dogs, feral or otherwise, the same way you would protect them from coyotes. Keep those fences inspected and secure, but take heart knowing they’re rarely as persistent as coyotes are…

Wolves

Wolves are much larger, stronger, and more intimidating than either coyotes or wild dogs, but they’re one of the rarest goat predators despite being able to kill them easily.

However, if you live in an area with high wolf populations you are better safe than sorry. That’s because wolves that do decide to attack will often be operating in a pack, which means you can lose multiple goats, maybe even your entire herd, in the course of a single night.

Wolf attacks might look like common dog wounds or coyote wounds, so expect carcasses or survivors to have bites anywhere on their bodies. Be especially careful to inspect for injuries on the neck and head.

Once more, you’ll keep wolves out with a combination of tall, sturdy fencing and preventing them from jumping over or digging under the fence. But because these predators are larger, much stronger, and more persistent, defenses must be taller and any digging countermeasures sunk deeper.

Foxes

Foxes aren’t as big a threat to goats as most people think, but they are a lot more common and less afraid of people and human habitation than wolves, meaning they are a consideration.

Foxes can be found absolutely all over North America, and though they typically retreat from humans and human settlements, they quickly overcome this fear when they figure out that the presence of humans usually means more easy meals in the form of pet food and, often, the pets themselves!

But for foxes, most adult goats are off the menu. They are simply too big. Small breeds are possibly prey, though, and especially if the fox is having a lean season. What you’ve really got to worry about are your goat kids.

Foxes will strike and kill a baby goat with multiple bites anywhere on the neck and sometimes along the spine if they can get a good angle. They’ll try to drag away prey to be eaten later as a rule, but if they are undisturbed or confident they will eat on-site.

Once again, we must rely on fencing to keep out foxes, but they are much smaller, more nimble, and much quicker to learn compared to the other predators we’ve discussed already.

They will easily make use of nearby obstacles to leap over fences and can slip through gaps that might surprise you.

If you know foxes are in the area, make it a point to look closely for any signs of digging at any point along the fence; these critters will dig a little bit one day and then return to finish the job, taking you and your herd by surprise.

Bears

The largest carnivore on our list is also the most dangerous and intimidating in terms of raw physical strength.

That being said, bears kill well under 1,000 goats every year in the US, which is a shockingly small number considering their appetites and propensity for violence. But if you live around forested areas, particularly where black bears are present, be prepared.

A bear attack is absolutely gruesome assuming it doesn’t drag away the poor animal entirely. A bear can easily tear a goat limb from limb and leave little bits of flesh and bone around.

Keeping bears out, of any kind, is much easier said than done because of their weight and strength; they can bash through gates, tear down doors, and simply push over fences.

Electric fencing, or at least a few electrified strands, is needed for giving bears the boot, and if you know one is making passes on your property, calling the Fish and wildlife commission or animal control in your area is strongly advised.

Bobcats

These crafty, shaggy felines are another major predator of goats. They’re still way behind coyotes and domestic dogs, but if you live anywhere there are bobcats present, and especially in large populations, you’ve got to stay on guard.

Bobcats kill by going for the throat, and they are shockingly efficient and effective hunters. They will drag away baby and young goats, and smaller adults, but might be forced to eat a larger goat on-site.

Their victims are typically bitten around the neck, throat, and head, and their claws can leave long, noticeably clean lacerations elsewhere on the body.

Bobcats, like all felines, are stealthy, clever, and extraordinarily agile. Their claws enable them to climb quickly and readily, so if you aren’t keeping your goats in a barn or other secure structure, electric fencing is a must to give them a psychological deterrent.

Mountain Lions

If you have mountain lions in the area, your goats are always going to be in danger. Although they are not the most prolific predator, not by a long shot, they are one of the most difficult to deter…

Basically, they hunt like supersized bobcats and kill the same way with a powerful bite to the skull, throat, or neck. Their razor-sharp claws will leave clean slashes in softer tissues on survivors and carcasses. Considering their size and strength, these cats are incredibly agile and will easily jump or climb over any fence to get to prey.

Once again, electric fencing is your best bet if you aren’t keeping your goats in a barn or other solid structure. Even then, stories abound of mountain lions learning what’s what with electric fencing pretty quickly.

I know a few people in areas where mountain lions are common that had to resort to chain-link enclosures, with tops, to keep their herds safe.

Feral Pigs

Feral pigs, also known as feral hogs or wild hogs, are incredibly destructive agricultural pests and destroyers of ecosystems, but as shocking as it is they also kill livestock, including goats.

They typically prey on baby goats and smaller breeds, but even the largest adult goats are no match for an adult, powerfully built razorback.

Wild hog attacks are notable because pigs eat bones, and every organ that goats have. They’ll even eat the hooves! Although some remnants are more likely with adult goats, small breeds and young are often entirely devoured with no trace of them left behind except blood.

Luckily, they aren’t particularly agile though they are strong and determined. Strong fences, and ones with wide, deep moats of gravel or fences that are buried deeply in the soil will keep hogs out.

As with foxes and coyotes, they are excellent diggers and might return later to finish digging under a fence at a suitable spot. Keep your eyes peeled for such signs.

Something else to keep in mind is that these animals are, almost without exception, pests and considered invasive species meaning they can be eradicated by most means. Definitely consider depopulation if they are becoming a constant problem.

Vultures

Vultures are popularly thought of as only eating carrion, like turkey vultures, but some like the black vulture are actually predators and will pick off isolated, sick, old, or young goats. Kids, as always, are highly vulnerable as are smaller breeds of goats like pygmies.

These big ugly birds are also pretty efficient and effective hunters, and are responsible for more goat deaths than you might be thinking, anywhere from 2,000 to 3,500 or so a year depending on what source you look at.

Vulture attacks are easy to accurately determine because they tend to skin carcasses and eat internal organs quickly by shoving their head through an existing orifice in the goat’s body. It’s as awful as it sounds.

Vultures might possibly be deterred through the use of large predator bird decoys, reflective decoys, and scarecrows though they wise up to the latter pretty quickly.

Covering any enclosure where you keep your goats with netting is effective against them, as is keeping an eye on them during daylight hours when vultures tend to be most active.

Eagles

Eagles are the last predator on our list, and like vultures, are surprisingly prolific taking anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 goats a year in North America based on current best estimates.

Unlike vultures, eagles, including the bald eagle and golden eagle, tend to be bolder and might make a pass at a kid or even an adult goat directly, killing with their powerful talons which can inflict deep puncture wounds anywhere on a goat’s torso, neck, or face.

Once again, your best bet for defense is to keep an eye on your goats during the daytime when these birds are active and hunting, and consider covering a smaller run or paddock where you usually keep them.

Even something like heavy plastic netting can serve to foul up the attack of an eagle and keep them from physically reaching your herd.