Lambs with heads caught in fence

arctictree

Just wondering if ye lads have the same experience as me. I check my stock once a day and there is nearly always a lamb with her head caught in the fence that I have to pull out. This is standard sheep wire.

I haven't had one lost this way yet but I'm wondering do they mostly sort it out themselves. Have ye had any die this way? If I missed a day would I have a problem? Cheers.

Username John

arctictree wrote: »

Just wondering if ye lads have the same experience as me. I check my stock once a day and there is nearly always a lamb with her head caught in the fence that I have to pull out. This is standard sheep wire.

I haven't had one lost this way yet but I'm wondering do they mostly sort it out themselves. Have ye had any die this way? If I missed a day would I have a problem? Cheers.

We used to have more of an issue with this, but I cant remember the last time I had it now. I think it was cos we only used the mild steel wire, which allowed them to get their head into it. The heavier wire, they cant get their head into the squares (although I am sure now I have said it, they will all be at it)
I still use the lighter stuff every now and then, but nt as much. And definitely not dividing paddocks, etc.

But that doesnt really answer your question does it

I don't think we had any die like this, but I dont think they'd sort themselves out either.
I imagine it would be like the ewe caught in the briars scenario - they would stay there, all caught up til you see em, and then run over, and just when you are about 10 feet away, they will put in a big effort and free themselves, and run off... :mad:

Edit : On the seeing em every day - I see mine every day. Sometimes things will happen no matter how often you see em, sometime you will catch something before it becomes an issue. Do the best you can, and accept no matter how often you see em, one will still prob go on her back / get caught in briars / fence / just die for no real reason... I think its luck a lot of the time, seeing em every day just makes you feel better when something does happen...

arctictree

Username John wrote: »

We used to have more of an issue with this, but I cant remember the last time I had it now. I think it was cos we only used the mild steel wire, which allowed them to get their head into it. The heavier wire, they cant get their head into the squares (although I am sure now I have said it, they will all be at it)
I still use the lighter stuff every now and then, but nt as much. And definitely not dividing paddocks, etc.

But that doesnt really answer your question does it

I don't think we had any die like this, but I dont think they'd sort themselves out either.
I imagine it would be like the ewe caught in the briars scenario - they would stay there, all caught up til you see em, and then run over, and just when you are about 10 feet away, they will put in a big effort and free themselves, and run off... :mad:

Edit : On the seeing em every day - I see mine every day. Sometimes things will happen no matter how often you see em, sometime you will catch something before it becomes an issue. Do the best you can, and accept no matter how often you see em, one will still prob go on her back / get caught in briars / fence / just die for no real reason... I think its luck a lot of the time, seeing em every day just makes you feel better when something does happen...

I normally do see them every day. One Friday a few weeks ago, I left it as I was going out that night and was dosing early the next morning. Feckin arrived down on the Saturday morning to a ewe dead on her back - what can you do! Maybe I'll get a camera, I set up a mobile calving cam for a neighbor and he's delighted with it. Problem is that I'd be checking it every 10 minutes!

The wire is new - tornado. The lower strands seem to be the perfect size for a lambs head. I have fenced up against the old boundary (not on top) so there is very tasty stuff in the ditch to get at!

gctest50

arctictree wrote: »

........Maybe I'll get a camera, I set up a mobile calving cam for a neighbor and he's delighted with it. Problem is that I'd be checking it every 10 minutes!

a drone maybe ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105294/One-man-drone-Watch-farmer-uses-flying-robot-fitted-horn-siren-herd-flock-2-000-sheep.html

The drone has proved to save both time and money as Mr Sanders only has one other employee working on the farm.

Using the device also allows him to keep an extra pair of eyes on the sheep, as he easily can check on the flock.

He once discovered that a ram was stuck in a fence, and managed to find and rescue it thanks to the drone

razor8

I always think its something to do with a mineral deficiency of some sort, I used to have lambs regurarly sticking head through wire and grazing briars leaves etc before I starting using more minerals

MayoAreMagic

The grass is probably cleaner out through the fence, i.e. not tramped or p***ed on by another animal! I find it is generally the same ones that do it. They probably get the nack for it and remember there is a bit of fresh grazing on the other side. I suppose it would be similar to how it is always the same ones that break out in a certain spot, or head to a certain place in the field/hill. Once they know it is there it is hard to stop them.

I seen one ewe that died from it. She was out on a hill and must have came down looking for grass. But the field she picked wasn't being used by the owner, and was off the beaten track, so I suppose she was stuck there til she died. Nasty way to go.

rangler1

arctictree wrote: »

Just wondering if ye lads have the same experience as me. I check my stock once a day and there is nearly always a lamb with her head caught in the fence that I have to pull out. This is standard sheep wire.

I haven't had one lost this way yet but I'm wondering do they mostly sort it out themselves. Have ye had any die this way? If I missed a day would I have a problem? Cheers.

You can get high tensile steel sheep wire with the vertical wires further apart, I've used it a long ditches in some places and the lambs never get caught,
it's a bit cheaper too

AnFeirmeoir

If the wire is pulled tight enough, i find they dont get stuck. If its any way loose they seemto have trouble as it moves with them when the pull back

jmrc

couple of things, is there any wool on the wire... if one does get caught here we make sure to take all the wool left on the wire off... over time they gave up doing it but I put it down in part to them being able to see the holes because of the wool.

Minerals deffo a contributing factor also IMO.. notice less lambs on the ditch round here when we have the blocks out.

And as an oulde lad once said to me, "sheep, sure they are coming up with new ways of dying all the time...!"

arctictree

Found one this morning that looked like she'd been stuck for a while, maybe 2 days, as I had checked them last in this field on Sunday. She was a bit shakey but looks like she'll recover.

There is a house bordering this field but the occupant would have no inclination to let me know if he saw a lamb like that. Very sad really.

arctictree

Another one this morning. I am going to leave a mineral bucket out at the weekend. See if that will sort it. Grazing seems to be fine where they are but they are obviously going for more juicy stuff in the hedge...

rangler1

arctictree wrote: »

Another one this morning. I am going to leave a mineral bucket out at the weekend. See if that will sort it. Grazing seems to be fine where they are but they are obviously going for more juicy stuff in the hedge...

I was plagued with it as well, I think the soft grass is the problem and they like the roughage in the ditch, they've stopped it now since they went on meal.
I've a dog that walks around the boundaries when I'm checking the sheep and sometimes they'll get themselves out when she comes near.
If she goes out of sight and doesn't come back, I know I have to go to her and usually find her setting either a sick lamb or one stuck in the wire

solerina

razor8 wrote: »

I always think its something to do with a mineral deficiency of some sort, I used to have lambs regurarly sticking head through wire and grazing briars leaves etc before I starting using more minerals

Agree with this, we have one that is stuck every day for the last few weeks and had decided mineral deficiency is the probable cause. Same one won't eat nuts unfortunately.

IH784man

Becareful when taking there heads out,a cousin killed a horned store lamb by accident doing that,staggered around the field for a while then just dropped and didn't get up

arctictree

I heard that the best way to get them out is to just lift them up by the back legs. Tried this earlier and it works like a dream.

IH784man

Is that for lowland lambs though

ganmo

dont do this either

razor8

Ewes broke into lambs field other day and ewe managed to wedge her head solid in a creep feeder, her head swelled and I spent 20 mins trying to rescue her, in the end I had to catch by back legs and pull as hard until I got her out,

rangler1

arctictree wrote: »

I heard that the best way to get them out is to just lift them up by the back legs. Tried this earlier and it works like a dream.

that's the way I do it too,

Birdnuts

I often find its the same individual ewe/lamb who seems to get into this sort of trouble - you'd think they'd learn a bit from the experience:rolleyes:

arctictree

Birdnuts wrote: »

I often find its the same individual ewe/lamb who seems to get into this sort of trouble - you'd think they'd learn a bit from the experience:rolleyes:

I took a note of her tag on Monday and yes, the same one was stuck in the fence this morning. I think I'll just have to move her up to the field behind the house. They will be let out next week to roam over the hill for the winter and there is no way I'm walking the boundary every day!

arctictree

Same one again this morning. Stupid bitch!

ganmo

arctictree wrote: »

Same one again this morning. Stupid bitch!

GATE!

arctictree

Brought her up beside the house and she is still doing it - twice a day now! I might put a bucket on her head like they do when fostering lambs!

IH784man

arctictree wrote: »

I might put a bullet on her head like they do when fostering lambs!

She's only hardship for you,I'd send her on if it was me.

Nekarsulm

Put her in the freezer.
You will know where to find her,
you will never have to wonder if she's dead,
and you get to actually enjoy meeting her!

ganmo

arctictree wrote: »

Brought her up beside the house and she is still doing it - twice a day now! I might put a bucket on her head like they do when fostering lambs!

I wonder would one of them dog cones work, the ones vets put on them so they don't lick too much

Birdnuts

ganmo wrote: »

I wonder would one of them dog cones work, the ones vets put on them so they don't lick too much

I dunno - one of our collies had one last year after treatment for a leg wound and manged to wedge his head between the lower rungs of a gate