Do foxes take lambs?

[Crowstalker]

I've heard many people say they do but as one who has grown up around sheep farms I've never heard any local farmer complaining that they have lost lambs to fox's. Yes plenty of hens taken but has anyone here actually had experience of this happening or witnessed this themselves?

 

[csl]

Yes, they do!

 

[long_range_rob]

+1 for the yes. Only one round my way

 

[Jon P]

I've heard many people say they do but as one who has grown up around sheep farms I've never heard any local farmer complaining that they have lost lambs to fox's. Yes plenty of hens taken but has anyone here actually had experience of this happening or witnessed this themselves?

Yes they do, quite often I have found the old vixens are the worst lamb takers, we had one years ago on a local farm that was taking a lamb every other night, when I shot her on the lamp she had lots of missing teeth and full of milk, I found the Cubs a few days later with the terriers, no more lambs were lost that year.

 

[levigsp]

yes they do and often.

 

[Tim.243]

I've heard many people say they do but as one who has grown up around sheep farms I've never heard any local farmer complaining that they have lost lambs to fox's. Yes plenty of hens taken but has anyone here actually had experience of this happening or witnessed this themselves?

They also will eat each other...

 

[Shadrach2986]

Yes they do, i was once called out by the farmer as he had a triplet, went back to get landrover to bring them back to shed and within half hour of getting back to the field 2lambs where dead and he was dragging the third away, one ****ed off farmer to say the least.

 

[J.kerslake]

I think it depends on where you are, I’m in Wiltshire and I’ve never had or heard of a fox taking a lamb, cleaning up the afterbirth but not taking a lamb. Our foxes aren’t as big and tough as those further north...

 

[StephenToast]

Not seen them take lambs as I've never had anything to do with sheep but they definitely take piglets.

 

[James0586]

I’ve witnessed them taking lambs their very proficient at it too!!

The worst I’ve seen for lambs is the fecking sheep dogs at night!

 

[Fair Hill]

Mostly sheep farming around where I am and yes the foxes take lambs and are not too popular. The badger will take the odd one too.

 

[sir-lamp-alot]

I think foxes wilst being opportunist can actually specialise in hunting certain quarry and if a fox locks onto a species be it lambs, pheasants chickens ect that is when they can cause serious problems. As for lambs yes they can and do predate on them if seen foxes try to split lambs away from ewes and ive also shot one slinked out like a cat low to the ground only feet away from a lamb curlt up with its mother that it was stalking. They will also take afterbirths and dead lambs aswell and Ive also seen them totally ignore lambs

 

[Freeforester]

The odd badger will take many lambs, if not dissuaded.

 

[Fair Hill]

I think foxes wilst being opportunist can actually specialise in hunting certain quarry and if a fox locks onto a species be it lambs, pheasants chickens ect that is when they can cause serious problems. As for lambs yes they can and do predate on them if seen foxes try to split lambs away from ewes and ive also shot one slinked out like a cat low to the ground only feet away from a lamb curlt up with its mother that it was stalking. They will also take afterbirths and dead lambs aswell and Ive also seen them totally ignore lambs

I've witnessed this as well and when it comes to ignoring lambs I wonder was it just because they were too near to home and didn't want to draw trouble on themselves by what we would refer to as shitting on their own doorstep.

I've seen foxes walk through a field of lambs and none of the ewes even give the fox a second glance.

 

[slider]

Most definitely they do, but badgers are just as bad, if not worse.

 

[Old melv]

They do around here

 

[Freeforester]

Most definitely they do, but badgers are just as bad, if not worse.

And more numerous, countrywide, compared with the territory of a typical fox family.

 

[Malxwal]

I've shot foxes actively trying to separate lamb and ewe. Farmer there not too fussed about the foxes, has had more bother with badgers. Other night I could count five badgers from where I was sitting, almost one in each field I could see...

 

[Triggermortis]

Let’s not forget that studies have shown that predation by foxes on fawns is a major cause of population control for some deer species

 

[grizzly adams]

YES they do, and Roe kids.