7 Ways to Protect Livestock
April 17, 2025Crops and livestock are livelihoods for farmers and ranchers. From protections against predators and health and safety updates to the right insurance coverages, anything that can help protect and enhance care for them is valuable. Here are a few ways to protect livestock:
1. Regularly Check and Update Your Fences
Fences work to both contain your livestock to your property and prevent unauthorized entry. Good, strong fencing around your fields can help prevent predators and trespassers from accessing your livestock.
Fences aren’t perfect, but they certainly help protect your livestock better than not having them at all. You can also explore supplemental fencing solutions to create better barriers or to startle predators:
- Using mesh wire electric fencing
- Planting living fences
- Putting up scarecrows
- Hanging flags or strips of fabric on fences
- Playing music or conversation on radios/speakers to mimic human noise
- Adding reflectors to overhead mesh or netting
- Using motion-activated lights and alarms around the property perimeter
The right fencing and enhancements can help deter ground and aerial predators while protecting your livestock. There may even be additional benefits to certain types of barriers and enhancements. For example, living fences can act as a barrier to predators and also act as windbreaks. They can help prevent soil erosion on your property too.
Whatever fencing and supplemental protections you have in place, make sure to regularly check in on them to repair damage or update components. This reduces the risk of livestock escape or predator trespass through broken fencing and ensures your fences and fencing solutions are working as they should to keep your livestock secure and safe on your property.
2. Implement Warning Systems
On top of solid fencing solutions and enhancements, you can also implement warning systems to help startle and ward off predators. Motion-activated alarms are common and useful. Simple additions like motion-activated spotlights or floodlights can scare off predators while also providing you with a visual warning.
If you’re in an area where predators, trespassers, etc. are frequent risks to your livestock, you can also implement security cameras for video monitoring and surveillance. Similar to how guardian dogs, llamas, or donkeys can help protect livestock and also “sound the alarm” at signs of danger, roosters can also be good options for additional auditory warnings.
3. Provide Housing For Your Livestock
Providing safe, secure housing for your livestock offers weather protection for them and gives them a safe place to be at night. Since most predators are nocturnal, housing your animals at night can go a long way in reducing the risk of predators. Even just moving livestock further into your property or a higher-security area at night can reduce the risk of nocturnal attacks.
All of these things can help protect your livestock. If you’re adding new buildings or making other new additions, make some time to talk to your insurance agent and review your farm insurance policy. You may need to increase limits or add coverage to make sure you have sufficient coverage on your new buildings.
4. Practice Good Animal Husbandry and Biosecurity
Maintaining a clean and dry environment for your livestock can help reduce injury and reduce the risk of disease. Additionally, solid biosecurity protocols prevent the introduction of infection into your herds or flocks. At the same time, should an infection occur, good biosecurity protocols and cleanliness standards can help reduce spread and prevent outbreaks.
5. Pair Complementary Grazers Together
If you have multiple types of livestock on your farm, especially multiple types of grazing animals, you can pair them to graze together. In a way, this helps create a sort of “buddy system” in your fields.
Not only can the larger herd deter predators, but the difference in size, if there is one, can also add a layer of protection. For example, cows and goats are common complementary grazers. In this pairing, the size of the cows can act as a deterrent for predators that would normally target smaller prey, like the goats.
6. Make Use of Guardian Animals
Guardian animals can help protect your livestock and enhance their health. Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), donkeys, and llamas are the most common guardian animals. The best fit for your farm will depend on various factors, including the livestock you keep, the layout of your farm, the common predators you’re looking for protection against, and more.
In addition to helping to protect your livestock from predators, guardian animals can also help reduce and relieve stress within your herds. In this way, guardian animals can help enhance both the health and safety of your herds.
7. Ensure You Have the Right Insurance Coverage
In addition to making sure you have the right insurance, and enough of it, for your farm property and operations, you also need to make sure your livestock are fully covered and that you have any and all endorsements you need to enhance your coverage where needed.
Livestock Mortality Insurance, Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), and more are all useful insurance products to help protect and insure your livestock. Depending on how your livestock fits into your farm operations, you may also need to explore coverages like Equine Liability Insurance, Equine Mortality with an Equine Major Medical add-on, Stallion Infertility Insurance, etc.
Having a conversation with your insurance agent is a good idea. They can work through the details of your livestock, operations, and property to identify the types of coverage, sufficient limits, and any relevant endorsements you may need. This type of consultative approach, personalized advice, individualized coverage comparisons, and more are all benefits of working with an independent insurance agent.
Get the Farm Insurance You Need With Ruhl Insurance, a Division of Horst Insurance
From farm upgrades to insurance options, these are just a few ways to protect livestock. If you need to review or update your farm insurance, contact Ruhl Insurance, a Division of Horst Insurance, at 717-665-2283 or 800-537-6880. We can help make sure your livestock is properly protected on your insurance policy.
Disclaimer: Information and claims presented in this content are meant for informative, illustrative purposes and should not be considered legally binding.