What to do with escape artist sheep?
Low on food and feed out hay and sugar beets.
1 out of 7 sheep goes thru fence into neighbours.
It is just and only one of them but that is enough.
I have enough as it is.
Neighbour found her outside my fence on saturday and I had already spotted her and was walking down paddock with a bucket to lure her in again.
Neighbour came on his bike and shouted and pointed at my sheep and at the fence and then he took off.
I did catch his calf in my garden as late as friday morning and did just lead it across the road without making any noises or alerting him.
I have found his new calfs and heifers and also dog on my side but never misbehaved about that,,but he did go totally nuts about 1 sheep.
Now I have had to restrict all sheep in a safer paddock with low food.
I cant put her down now since she might be in lamb.
What to do with her? Any ideas? sell her?
Written just after midnight, she just woke me up being on wrong side of fence hysterically screaming for the others and did not find way back in.
I have just been out and got her back in.
What sort of fences do you have - 5 / 7 wire or sheep netting? Do they have enough posts/battens to ensure a sheep can't make its way under or through where you don't want it to? I'm a fan of sheep netting myself but the 'wire' fences are ok if they're tight and battened enough.
Hestia, someone put one of my bulls back in through my gate from the road a few weeks ago. He didn't "make a fuss" either and if I hadn't seen him, I'd never have known it had happened. Not saying anything is not particularly helpful. Your neighbour may have no idea his calves were in the wrong place.
We immediately fixed our fence where the bull got out, but if I'd not known he'd been out, I'd not have done anything about it and it would have happened again within a few hours.
Was your sheep getting through just one part of the fence, or trying anywhere?
Little old hint from years ago that may or may not be contributing to your problem - all depends on how good your fences are. The hint: When sheep push through a fence, they always leave some wool wrapped around the wire. It then is as good as a torch light to the sheep - go here! So, get out your Stanley knife (or whatever) and cut that wool off the wire. Try it and see what she does.
Make up a triangular collar for her out of 3 60cm lengths of 50 x 40 mm batten. Buy 3 100mm bolts with wingnuts. Measure out the length that each part of the collar will need to be to stay on her head. Drill holes that length through the ends of the battens. At one end drill 2 more holes on either side to make the collar tighter or looser, in case your measurement was wrong. Bolt all 3 bits of batten together except the adjustable end. Catch ewe, put collar around the neck and make it a snug fit with the adjustment holes.
I feel your pain Heista, but mine is a joint boundary fence problem, i have put over 200 battons on the boundary and they just walk to the top of the bush block and then come through the open forestry tracks onto our neighbours place!! Very Very fustrating as our forestry blocks are all open over 300 acres of the stuff...she will teach her lamb to do the same as beedee has said...taking the wool off the fence is a good start as it is their calling card for next time...extra battons where she was tagging the fence my help, another wire across is another option we took where the fence was high...talk to the neighbour and assure him you don't want your sheep there just as much as he doesnt! I hope she settles for you but if not you could sell her with lamb at foot..well done on her staying home for the birth though
She is for sale under classified.
I have too much problems already in my life,,without having to re-fence for one sheep only.
Almost totaly black ewe,,white tip of the tail and white between her ears.
Her lamb is a boy and he is multi color like a indian horse, black and white and grey,
LongRidge;325693 wrote: Make up a triangular collar for her out of 3 60cm lengths of 50 x 40 mm batten. Buy 3 100mm bolts with wingnuts. Measure out the length that each part of the collar will need to be to stay on her head. Drill holes that length through the ends of the battens. At one end drill 2 more holes on either side to make the collar tighter or looser, in case your measurement was wrong. Bolt all 3 bits of batten together except the adjustable end. Catch ewe, put collar around the neck and make it a snug fit with the adjustment holes.
Someone that can help me doing this?
2 of them needs a collar.
or just the one ewe that probably lures one other with her.
Pay,take one of my ewes?
one with lambs at feet?
(says it all really!).
