We've had our chickens for a few years. Each spring, we would excitedly welcome additional chicks and begin raising them, looking forward to the day they would begin laying and we could collect the tiny eggs that young chickens produce.
Each year, to our dismay, when the crops on either side of our property would grow large enough to provide cover, we would begin losing birds to predators. Bald eagles? Coyotes? Fox? Raccoon? We weren't sure.
After a particularly bad loss, coming home to find multiple birds missing, we set up a trail cam and saw not not one, but two coyotes coming into the yard to take our chickens. A week later, the kids were playing outside and happened upon a coyote in the middle of the day. I said, "Enough! We are getting an LGD!"
An LGD is a livestock guardian dog. They are bred, as the name says, to protect your livestock from predators. I started researching different breeds, Anatolian, Maremma, Great Pyrenees, etc., trying to determine which breed might suit our needs as a small hobby farm. I happened upon a Facebook post that mentioned Colorado Mountain Dogs and I joined the corresponding Facebook page to learn more.
I soon learned that the Colorado Mountain Dog (CMD) was exactly what I was looking for: a dog bred specifically for small acreage farms. The CMD is a large, lean dog with a soft fur. They are bred to wander and bark less, to accept human visitors without hostility, and to retain their desire to protect their livestock.
Our wonderful CMDs have lived up to every expectation we have had. Since getting them we have not lost any poultry to predators, yet these beautiful dogs are amazing family dogs. They are incredibly calm, even as puppies. Visitors to our farm quickly fall in love with their gentle, affectionate nature.
To read more about the breed, see the CMD website: https://coloradomountaindogs.com
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