The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: JMB on June 07, 2012, 06:32:06 pm
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Hello.
Just recovering from our first lambing experience. Never knew it would be so exhausting!
Anyway, we lambed outside and the sheep's favourite spot to lamb appeared to be under the trees.
Unfortunately our Hebs seem to like eating our tree bark (the old apple trees are favourite, but they try anything, including leylandii. (Even with a mineral lick on hand to chew on)
As our trees seem to have survived, maybe now is the time to try and protect them.
The only trouble is, we have quite a few.
I don't want to fence the trees off completely as the sheep like the shade and shelter.
I just wondered if anyone has a tried and tested and economical way of tree protection?
Thank you.
Joanne xxx
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Standard method is four posts and either rails or net around each tree, can be done with three posts :farmer:
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maybe electric fence off where they are chewing (since that can be closer in to the tree than post+rail/mesh protectors)?
But must admit we are a bit short on trees in the wild and windsweptness here so any trees are planted well away from greedy Shetland mouths :-))
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My Shetlands eat anything they can reach - and have taught the GFD's their naughty ways. Fruit trees stand no chance. I caught one this afternoon standing on the top row of the stock netting and another leaping into the air to eat leaves about 6' above the ground :o . They are fed, honestly ::) They are all houdinis too.
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Sorry but Hebs and trees don't mix. One of their uses is to eat down and control scrub regrowth, so they are just trying to do their job :eyelashes:
You could wrap chicken wire round each trunk, but you would need to keep a close eye on it as the trees grow or they would be strangled. It would need to be the 6' high size.
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We have our sheep in a large enclosure with a hedge on one side for summer shade. They are not Hebs and have oodles of lovely grass with loads of different 'herbage' and clover amongst the grass. What do they start on first? The hedge; the laurel; the camellia; the sweet chestnut bark.......... Do they go for the young gorse or bramble? Do they heck! Have they read the manual regarding things sheep must not eat? No way!
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Thank you for all your replies. Chicken wire might be the way to go.
I have tried to explain to them that they are killing off the very thing they love to sleep under and have a good scratch up against, but they don't listen.
Bearing in mind that they will still have a good rub up against anything, I assume chicken wire is still Ok for horned sheep?
xxx
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Small mesh is ok as they can't get their heads right through. You might occasionally find one which has managed to pull the mesh off the tree with its horns, especially a tup. The other day we had to bring our whole flock in as one ewe was found wearing a licky bucket around her neck by the handle, spooking herself and the rest of the flock, and of course preventing her from grazing. They can usually find a way to do something comical - your job is to make sure they don't die if it 8) . Perhaps before you commit to wrapping all the trees you should try just a couple and see how they get on with it. We have wrapped our orchard trees without a problem :sheep:
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Thank you. It's a good idea to start with a few trees I think.
Your post Fleecewife really made me laugh with your sheep's head in a bucket. We get hours of enjoyment watching our Hebs bounce about in the evening.
Right, off to post a Weaning question next and then tree wrapping xxx
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Swales can do that too:
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;D ;D ;D I'm glad it's not just us :D :D
We had a Jacob once who got the bottom half of a traffic cone around her neck - took ages to catch that wild one ::) No idea where the cone came from but I suppose someone slung it over the fence.
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Have you tried removing their teeth :-J
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Have you tried removing their teeth :-J
;D Unfortunately it has other side effects :D Also it would stop them from eating the bark but they could still gum the leaves and twigs - which is just what my ancient old toothless biddies do ::) :sheep: like old crones chewing their betel leaves.