Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
So had a call from a shepherd asking me to deal with a fox which has been ****ing on his lambs and causing the ewes to abandon them, has anyone ever had this problem before.
Lambs stinking of fox
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Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
Yes the ewes had triplets and was nursing them fine the 1st night, the next morning she was pushing them away and when the shepherd checked them they were all stinking of fox making her reject them . Any other explanation for them smelling the way they do. The shepherds hands stank as well after he had handled the lambs
It's certainly novel!
My guess would be that the lambs had huddled down into a small hollow for shelter, like under an old tree trunk or similar, that had just been vaccated by a smelly old fox, and picked up the scent that way.
But if they have been peed on then that's certainly one for the archive because I've never heard of such a thing before. Would be amazing if you could see it happen and settle the mystery.
Unless the lambs were very young (like only a few hours old) then the scent wouldn't be enough to cause the ewe to reject them I don't think, but if they were very young, and if it's a young ewe, then a strong scent may put the ewe off.
Possibly just a poor mother? Easy to blame fox for poor sheep genetics!
Not sure why a ewe with newborn triplets would have been left out all night anyway? Most ewes need help to rear three, or one needs to be fostered off.
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Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
Yes the ewe is only a year old and was part of an trial to get them lambing earlier than usual so could be a poor mother as a result especially having triplets
Well I think that's your answer.
Any involvement of fox was purely incidental.
Just another thought for you, @Brittany boy:
Is your shepherd absolutely 100% certain that all three lambs are from that ewe? I mean, did he actually see her give birth to all three?
It would be quite unusual for a one-year-old sheep to produce triplets (although that's breed dependent to an extent).
A ewe will sometimes steal a newborn lamb from another ewe as she prepares to give birth to her own, only to reject the stolen lamb sometime later, after her own lambs are born.
That's a common occurence. Foxes peeing on lambs is not.
Is your shepherd absolutely 100% certain that all three lambs are from that ewe? I mean, did he actually see her give birth to all three?
It would be quite unusual for a one-year-old sheep to produce triplets (although that's breed dependent to an extent).
A ewe will sometimes steal a newborn lamb from another ewe as she prepares to give birth to her own, only to reject the stolen lamb sometime later, after her own lambs are born.
That's a common occurence. Foxes peeing on lambs is not.
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Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
While talking to him he mentioned exactly what you’ve said about another ewe who was stealing lambs, as he brought her into the shed to have her own she died and he pulled her two lambs out alive, one now being bottle fed and one adopted. It is possible the other ewe may have stolen one possibly two before her own was born but he was quite sure they were all hers, as he normally sprays numbers on the backs to match them up once born. I’m out tonight for a look, the fox was also in the lambing sheds last night dragging some dead lambs about into the yard and dumped one in the front garden so whether he’s peeing ion them or not it’s got to go.
The first thing to sort out would be to stop leaving dead lambs where they can be got at by a fox.
That's just poor shepherding, and the sort of thing that results in foxes being blamed for killing lambs.
Seems to me this fox is just an opportunist and, as yet, has done nothing wrong.
By all means shoot it, but the fox that takes its place might not be so harmless.
Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
This was a lamb from the previous night , badger I think
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Ok, that looks bad.
Dog, fox or badger? Who knows?
Looks like badger or dog to me, rather than fox.
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
Nice that the first thought was rake a photo
Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
I think I posted something similar a year or two ago from the same farm. Hi badger population which has exploded this year, I’ve watch a lamb in the night vision bounce up to a badger in the dark snuffling about worming, badger got annoyed at the lamb turned round bit its nose and went back to worming. But this is a more serious attack.
Last year I shot a truly rogue fox that had developed a nasty habit of attacking the rear end of a ewe as it gave birth. Basically nipping repeatedly at the lamb on exit. I witnessed this for something close to a full minute as I struggled to get a shot off due to being on the wrong side of a thorn hedge.
Still have the painful puncture wounds to remind me of the incident.
K
Still have the painful puncture wounds to remind me of the incident.
K
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
I have no idea why Tim always disclaims a fox killing lambs. I've witnessed it several times, and badgers. Healthy lambs and ewes. I've watched them stalk from down wind and grab healthy lambs and drag them off all be it slowly. I've watched them circle a casting ewe, I've watched them ripping the abdomen of ewes stuck on their backs heavy in lamb.
I have zero tolerance of fox's, they are a predator period.
I have zero tolerance of fox's, they are a predator period.
Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
Just home saw one fox and 19 badgers, the fox kept his distance possibly due to the wind in the wrong direction, kids camping in the field at the rear of the farm and a constant stream of mountain bikers coming off the hill through the farm last two at midnight. Will try again at the weekend. Who the hell cycles on the hill at night, thought shooters walking about was bad enough
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