[caz]

I turn up at my horses field this morning and I have a wooly visitor. He is a male with a tag in each ear and a coloured dot on his shoulder and one on his rump. I have never seen any sheep in the neighbouring fields around here so don't know where he's came from. I've contacted the local farm watch and they have had no reports of recent lost or stolen sheep but they have asked for details so they can ask around. How likely is it that any old person who has sheep can turn up and claim him or will someone have paperwork relating to that particular sheep?
I haven't been able to get close enough to get details off the ear tags.

[Pedwardine]

Defra will be able to track who he belongs to from his eartag details if you can get close enough to see what they are. Whoever owns him should then be able to tell you his eartag details so you can check they are bonafide. If you can suss out his breed, and contact the breed society, he may be registered in which case they may know where he's missing from. Hope that helps.

[caz]

Thanks I think I will have to try and win his trust with food first as I have no place to catch him for a close look. Do people ever dump sheep?

[Pedwardine]

Afraid so but with eartags present and markers indicative of possible recent medical treatment or husbandry it's unlikely in his case. Maybe his ewes have been brought in and he's been left behind.
Worth trying some 'rattley' food in a bucket. Chopped carrots, apples, crackers or other plain human biscuits (not jammy dodgers!) would suffice in the absence of sheep feed. He may be bucket trained and come willingly into a penned area. Have someone to help in case he's feisty though 

[Tudful Tamworths]

If you can't get close enough to read the tag, try a camera with a zoom lens. Then look at it on your computer, or whatever. A lot less hassle than trying to get friendly with an unfamiliar sheep.
 

[Pedwardine]

Didn't occur to me that one! Good advice.

[Foobar]

Binoculars are also good .  The tag will probably have numbers on both sides of the tag, and you will need to see both those numbers.


If you don't get anywhere, call on the help of a local farmer, or call Animal Health, they might (depending on their mood ) come out and help you grab him.

[Bramblecot]

Local Trading Standards, Animal Health Dept.  Ours said we could keep the visitor if no-one claimed him.  They logged details of the call so that we were covered against a claim.  Is he a wether or ram?

[lachlanandmarcus]

Also if you can post a pic we might be able to work out what kind of breed he is, which may help animal health track down the owner (the tag may help but possibly not if the sheep has been sold off the holding of birth) - when we had strays the weird breed they were helped to track down the chap who had rented some grazing locally as he was the main person with that breed.

[Pedwardine]

How're you getting on re your unexpected visitor?

[zarzar]

We had to soay ewes like that we are thinking they are about 3 by teeth they had been covered this year and havent returned to ram so 

[caz]

Hi he is still here I thought he had gone back home as he disappeared for a day but he's back. He is getting friendly and note confident to come up to me especially when the horses are being fed. I saw his ear tag and managed to get a photo of it as it was too long to remember whilst hung over lol. It's starts uk and followed by a long number . Would this be enough to find out the owner ?
I've looked online at sheep breeds and he looks like a texel.

[Garmoran]

I saw his ear tag ... It's starts uk and followed by a long number . Would this be enough to find out the owner?

That will tell the authorities where he was born, all being as it should be. There will be another number on the other part of the tag which his individual number and should enable him to be tracked to his current home.

[Marches Farmer]

Yup, UK then six numbers will be his holding of birth.

[caz]

The number has uk then a 6 digit number and a 5 digit number underneath