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Lamb Mortality

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  • #62
    Nekarsulm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,298 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    You should post those photos on the Pets forum, see what happens........


  • #63
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    dave747 wrote: »
    Taught so alright, have a lad that gets them for me may give him a ring tomorrow. most of the land about a mile from the house and have had trouble there some times but never outside the front door

    Have a ewe here and the fox killed both her twins last year as she was having them, took the head completely off the ram lamb, but left the body. Then caught the ewe lamb with teeth, punctured the front and rear of the neck leaving the lamb gurgling and died shortly after I discovered them all.

    By God was I in enraged by that sight.


  • #64
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,919 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Conmaicne Mara wrote: »
    Have a ewe here and the fox killed both her twins last year as she was having them, took the head completely off the ram lamb, but left the body. Then caught the ewe lamb with teeth, punctured the front and rear of the neck leaving the lamb gurgling and died shortly after I discovered them all.

    By God was I in enraged by that sight.

    Samething happened to a neighbour with one of 2 ewe lambs. We went out the following night with the lamp and .223 rifle and caught the same lad lurking with intent. Took him down at 100yards:D


  • #65
    gozunda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,996 ✭✭✭✭gozunda


    Not lambs - but foxes and free range poultry. The problems with shooting all the *ckers is that it leaves the area for other dog foxes to roam into. I know that not everyone has the same experience, but in this case the local hunt obliged by making sure that the local fox population were extremely human shy. They also obliged with a number of 'problem' foxes that had got the taste for the odd bird.


  • #66
    Nekarsulm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,298 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    I remember reading somewhere, that the vixen's litter size is directly influenced by the existing local population density of foxes. So shoot all you like, but the population will always revert to the level the landscape will support. All you can do is keep them shot till till the lambs are a good size.


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  • #67
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    I found that if you get the fox away with anything at all , he'll just get bolder and bolder. We had one fellow here last year that started coming late at night and attacking lambs. Soon he was appearing before dark , strolling up and down the drive, with less fear of humans . Luckily a local hunter sorted it for me. Even though I know that another fox would take over the territory soon after, it's best off to have a zero tolerance and not let the fox do as they please.


  • #68
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    I found that if you get the fox away with anything at all , he'll just get bolder and bolder. We had one fellow here last year that started coming late at night and attacking lambs. Soon he was appearing before dark , strolling up and down the drive, with less fear of humans . Luckily a local hunter sorted it for me. Even though I know that another fox would take over the territory soon after, it's best off to have a zero tolerance and not let the fox do as they please.

    When there's a fox taking lambs he needs to be dealt with promptly. On a farm I used to shoot on, I saw one vixen take 18 lambs in one week. Shot her, one lamb went in the next week, shot another vixen, killing ended.

    Now, the thing is this, there were two other foxes on that farm also, but they weren't bothering the lambs so I left it at that.

    Am starting to think in terms of leaving a local fox alone, once it's not doing damage, so they can keep the territory. I haven't shot a fox yet this year, 10 lambs and no losses YET. Mind you I haven't seen a fox when I've been out either. But have seen sign in the last day or two.


  • #69
    gozunda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,996 ✭✭✭✭gozunda


    Conmaicne Mara wrote: »
    When there's a fox taking lambs he needs to be dealt with promptly. On a farm I used to shoot on, I saw one vixen take 18 lambs in one week. Shot her, one lamb went in the next week, shot another vixen, killing ended.

    Now, the thing is this, there were two other foxes on that farm also, but they weren't bothering the lambs so I left it at that.

    Am starting to think in terms of leaving a local fox alone, once it's not doing damage, so they can keep the territory. I haven't shot a fox yet this year, 10 lambs and no losses YET. Mind you I haven't seen a fox when I've been out either. But have seen sign in the last day or two.


    I have found this works. Get rid of the ones causing trouble. Leave others to keep out travelling foxes. Any sign of a fox around the farm yard generally means at least one fox is getting ideas about easy pickings.


  • #70
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    Going mad here, one lamb disappeared over night, a half twin. A hunter is coming down tomorrow night so fingers crossed. I've taken to spray painting the numbers on the ewes and lambs in different colours, ie ewe with single lambs , green writing , ewes with twins red writing etc. makes it easier to spot a lamb missing as you can tell instantly by colour how many lambs she should have with her. The idea is when a problem arises, you can get on to it quicker and minimalise losses


  • #71
    sea12
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,244 ✭✭✭sea12


    I've taken to spray painting the numbers on the ewes and lambs in different colours, ie ewe with single lambs , green writing , ewes with twins red writing etc. makes it easier to spot a lamb missing as you can tell instantly by colour how many lambs she should have with her. The idea is when a problem arises, you can get on to it quicker and minimalise losses[/QUOTE]

    I do the very same as well. And if a twin dies after numbering them I put a linu underneath the red so I am not looking for a non existing lamb in a weeks time.


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  • #72
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    Going mad here, one lamb disappeared over night, a half twin. A hunter is coming down tomorrow night so fingers crossed. I've taken to spray painting the numbers on the ewes and lambs in different colours, ie ewe with single lambs , green writing , ewes with twins red writing etc. makes it easier to spot a lamb missing as you can tell instantly by colour how many lambs she should have with her. The idea is when a problem arises, you can get on to it quicker and minimalise losses

    On the spray painting, I was a bit confused during lambing live when they numbered the lambs but not the ewes? Surely the point is in saving time, if you have to look for the ewe instead of just reading her number you'd be as well off tagging the lambs and not numbering anything.

    On losing lambs, I have been using Stockholm tar on the neck (never going onto the shoulder or farther) and touch wood haven't lost a lamb yet. I've also been using it on a part of Dads (fragmented) farm where the smell of foxes would gag you and the amount of fox **** would cause you to lose your footing.


  • #73
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    On losing lambs, I have been using Stockholm tar on the neck (never going onto the shoulder or farther) and touch wood haven't lost a lamb yet. I've also been using it on a part of Dads (fragmented) farm where the smell of foxes would gag you and the amount of fox **** would cause you to lose your footing.[/quote]

    Thanks Con, bought a tin of it today, and going putting it on this evening. so fingers crossed. I've been told that the fox is a vixen and will take 1 a day and then two a day when her cubs get a bit bigger , if I don't stop her. Hopefully the hunters will have some success soon !!!


  • #74
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    On losing lambs, I have been using Stockholm tar on the neck (never going onto the shoulder or farther) and touch wood haven't lost a lamb yet. I've also been using it on a part of Dads (fragmented) farm where the smell of foxes would gag you and the amount of fox **** would cause you to lose your footing.

    Thanks Con, bought a tin of it today, and going putting it on this evening. so fingers crossed. I've been told that the fox is a vixen and will take 1 a day and then two a day when her cubs get a bit bigger , if I don't stop her. Hopefully the hunters will have some success soon !!![/QUOTE]

    Good luck with the fox, I know all too well what it feels like. One farm I shot a vixen that took 18 in one week!


  • #75
    MayoAreMagic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,946 ✭✭✭MayoAreMagic


    Anyone having many issues with the fox this year? Or are guys using deterrents finding them useful? Myself and a neighbour have a lad taking the heads off them, strong lambs too, he must be a fair lump of a fox!

    All the bigger the target to hit...


  • #76
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    MayoAreMagic wrote: »
    Anyone having many issues with the fox this year? Or are guys using deterrents finding them useful? Myself and a neighbour have a lad taking the heads off them, strong lambs too, he must be a fair lump of a fox!

    All the bigger the target to hit...

    I'm having problems with the fox. He got one lamb from the field, a half twin . Since then we're been trying to shoot the fox but their keeping a low profile. The hunters think the problem is that the fox isn't hungry as the weather is mild and won't come to the caller. Since then I've been locking the sheep in at night to a garden and the fox cannt get them. Unfortunately it's leading to mismothering issues as I'm having to move sheep about more then I'd like.


  • #77
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    MayoAreMagic wrote: »
    Anyone having many issues with the fox this year? Or are guys using deterrents finding them useful? Myself and a neighbour have a lad taking the heads off them, strong lambs too, he must be a fair lump of a fox!

    All the bigger the target to hit...

    No trouble on my farm, all lambs got stockholm tar on the back of the neck. Also look after a rough 55 acre block for the ould fella, the sign and stink of fox there would knock you, again tar, not lost one lamb from there that I put tar on. I cannot say 100% that a lamb I didn't see hasn't been taken, but I have not found any evidence of that (legs, skins etc).

    Got told this morning a lamb got killed in another field of Dads not far from where I live, so will take a walk with the rifle tonight. Not long back from putting tar on all the lambs there - they had none until now. Also found parts of a second lamb while gathering there.

    This f'ker better come early cos I've to go to another place yet and am a little tired, would forgive going out at all tbh.


  • #78
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    I 've the stock tar on the lambs like you were telling me con, I cannt tell if it's working or not cause it's so hard to count lambs in the field when you've a load of them there.


  • #79
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    I 've the stock tar on the lambs like you were telling me con, I cannt tell if it's working or not cause it's so hard to count lambs in the field when you've a load of them there.

    Hopefully it is! This f'ker coming to Dads lambs will test the theory out as that fox, like yours, has a taste for lambs. I can count the ones on my farm easy enough as 32 lambs with the twin ewes and 16 with the singles, I've them separated so it's it's handy. Bit more work count them in the rough place, feeding there so can count at trough then walk the place and any lamb I find with no tar on is new, I just write down any lamb I put tar on and add to my total.


  • #80
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    I'm having problems with the fox. He got one lamb from the field, a half twin . Since then we're been trying to shoot the fox but their keeping a low profile. The hunters think the problem is that the fox isn't hungry as the weather is mild and won't come to the caller. Since then I've been locking the sheep in at night to a garden and the fox cannt get them. Unfortunately it's leading to mismothering issues as I'm having to move sheep about more then I'd like.

    Have you many sheep, I can't remember if you said so or not. How would you normally run them, all in one field or what? I ask as anytime I got a call about lambs being taken (on a farm I wasn't used to) used to love if the farmer knew what field they were being taken from, or if s/he was just lambing in the one field as then I knew exactly WHERE the fox was coming to, the next step was to find out WHEN the fox was coming. Once those two things are known it gives a person a real good chance of shooting the culprit. By then they should have a real good idea of where the fox is coming from also, that information lets the shooter select the best positions on the farm to shoot from, bearing in mind wind direction, wind speed, phase of the moon etc. In those cases I never used to bother with the caller, fox is coming for a lamb not a rabbit.


  • #81
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    Conmaicne Mara wrote: »
    Have you many sheep, I can't remember if you said so or not. How would you normally run them, all in one field or what? I ask as anytime I got a call about lambs being taken (on a farm I wasn't used to) used to love if the farmer knew what field they were being taken from, or if s/he was just lambing in the one field as then I knew exactly WHERE the fox was coming to, the next step was to find out WHEN the fox was coming. Once those two things are known it gives a person a real good chance of shooting the culprit. By then they should have a real good idea of where the fox is coming from also, that information lets the shooter select the best positions on the farm to shoot from, bearing in mind wind direction, wind speed, phase of the moon etc. In those cases I never used to bother with the caller, fox is coming for a lamb not a rabbit.

    There's about 70 out of my 100 ewes out in field with 1.5 lambs. The rest are still in shed or cull paddock. The issue is the lambs aren't sticking with their mothers. You'd see the lambs waiting at the top of field while mothers go eating or some ewes walking around with 3 lambs that should only have two and vice versa. Makes it hard to count them. I went out last week with hunters and spent a few hours around farm lamping. Not one fox seen or smelt. The boys reckon it's a cute vixen that sheds her scent at this time of year.We'll get her though !!!


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  • #82
    Nekarsulm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,298 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    Does a thieving b1tch of a horny ewe, trying to get under a gate, and lifting the gate out of its hangers and knocking it on one of her lambs, killing him, count? :(


  • #83
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    If she's a hogget she might quieten down by next year. If not I don't take kindly to excitable or wild sheep. They'll only break your heart.


  • #84
    Nekarsulm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,298 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    Red spray for her, so!


  • #85
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Seen the fox in among Dads lot this morning, a little after 2am. It was coming lovely wind was right, had the hill against my back so couldn't be seen nor heard. Had him dead to rights a little past 200 yards, thought it's lambing, he's heading my way, let him in a little closer and make sure. *&#£er pulled a disappearing act behind a bunch of rushes, not to be seen again :mad: Kicking myself for not giving him the good news.


  • #86
    Green farmer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,004 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    At least you know the route and time he comes now. From taking to hunter boys 200 yards sounds a small bit too far to guarantee a clean shot. You did the right thing. You'll get a chance again


  • #87
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    Green farmer wrote: »
    At least you know the route and time he comes now. From taking to hunter boys 200 yards sounds a small bit too far to guarantee a clean shot. You did the right thing. You'll get a chance again

    Nah often killed them out to 300, just rusty with not shooting a fox yet this year. But yeah, know a little more about this fox today, found a leg up in the hill too, which is what prompted me to let him come in closer, thought that was his path.


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