Badgers

Just started my hill lambing had problems last year any ideas the best way to stop them from touching the lambs don't know where there are hold up got to be careful with them
 
Id guess the only legal means is to feed them so their not hungry not ideal but I think your stuck if you want your sheep on the hill
 
I'm Having problems with foxes coming into lambing fields. The Foxes are coming in from the hill and the forestry blocks. Once they start on lambs it can be a nightmare!! But at least it's a bit easier with dedicated lambing fields, prior to sheep going further out. Basically been sitting out and feeding the foxes a lead diet instead. The hill lambing is a bit harder to keep on top of due to the obvious.

One of the areas is having the same problem as yourself and it is badgers that are doing the damage, again though it is lambing fields and not out on the hill. The only thing I'm doing to put them off the fields is putting the lamp on them seems to work they don't like the white light. As for keeping them from coming into the area at all not too sure. I'm sure someone on here will have the answer.




M
 
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It must be bloody infuriating standing back and watching the hearth rugs taking over,:cuckoo:crazy i know,but thems the rules,:tiphat:
 
I was once asked to stop badgers entering a large garden. I ended up putting a single strand electric fence round the whole garden, can't remember the exact height of the wire but it was only a few inches off the ground.
 
Badgers are messy killers I've watch them with thermal/nv going along stone walls where new born lambs shelter grabbing hold of and ragging like hell until the lamb dies, guts etc dragged all over the place. fox generally kill quickly and cleanly.

If the head and/or tail are missing 99% of the time it's fox doing the damage, fox with young to feed the carcass usually dissapears without trace (taken back to the earth). I've watch badgers drag the carcass a few hundred yard and have its fill and carry bits away etc but the lamb rarely dissapears without trace if it's a badger

Best to get to the lambing paddocks early and quietly sit and watch, could be a fox doing the killing (geld vixen taking heads and tails) and a badger getting a free meal. Get a good look at the carcass if you can.

Ive seen badgers make a real mess of heavily pregnant ewes that have cest, eating the arse end/udder off them whilst still alive!

They sure as hell don't just eat worms.....
 
I reckon badgers take more lambs than foxes.

A lamb carcass lying on its back with all internals gone (including ribs) and head still on is a classic badger attack
 
Badgers apparently have very sensitive noses. I have been told by one farmer that they hate diesel ad he has lined a field with diesel more than once to keep badgers out. At least its a non lethal option (perhaps). Snares might do it if you have foxes using the same runs but beware letting them free from the snares as they are very vicious if caught. they dont like coming into contact with strong plastic either.
Obviously they cannot be shot without dispensation which is rarely given, certainly not in my case. Their preference (EN) was for me to erect a badger proof fence round the area they were taking chickens from rather than shoot the offenders (the fence would have been 500m long).
They do have v sensitive hearing and if they think they are being shot at from close range maybe they would find it best to go elsewhere?
 
Badgers are messy killers I've watch them with thermal/nv going along stone walls where new born lambs shelter grabbing hold of and ragging like hell until the lamb dies, guts etc dragged all over the place. fox generally kill quickly and cleanly.

If the head and/or tail are missing 99% of the time it's fox doing the damage, fox with young to feed the carcass usually dissapears without trace (taken back to the earth). I've watch badgers drag the carcass a few hundred yard and have its fill and carry bits away etc but the lamb rarely dissapears without trace if it's a badger

Best to get to the lambing paddocks early and quietly sit and watch, could be a fox doing the killing (geld vixen taking heads and tails) and a badger getting a free meal. Get a good look at the carcass if you can.

Ive seen badgers make a real mess of heavily pregnant ewes that have cest, eating the arse end/udder off them whilst still alive!

They sure as hell don't just eat worms.....

Spot on post mate ,about time they relaxed laws as we are overrun with them .
 
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