The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Pony-n-trap on October 20, 2010, 11:06:52 pm
-
Been searching for one of my ewes the past 2 days, found her this aft, well, whats left of her!!
Took a piccy but wont post it as dont want to put peeps off their tea but am now thinking something very large and nasty attacked her and with all the talk of big cats round here.........!
-
can you send me a pic please in pm if you like have you reported it to police?
-
Havent reported it, they just arent interested in livestock matters it seems. Am going to take pic to the vets this morn and when the fallen stock man comes, I hope am here to see what he says.
Will pm the pic, well, will try!!
-
Have sent it to your hotmail account, didnt know how to attach it through pm. Let me know that you have got it!
-
I have had a couple of what I think is dog attacks always on the boys one had his face bitten quite bad but he has recovered well, the other had wool pulled out around his neck.
Where abouts are you?
-
There is a big cat attack expert online that you can send pics too and he will tell you if it is or not, cant remember what his name is but when we found a freshly stripped carcass of a large deer one morning we sent it to him, he said it was probaly badgers that stripped it after it had been hit by a car! I spoke to the local police and showed them a photo of it and they told me they had, had a couple more reports of a similar nature in the villages surrounding us!! Nothing came of it though. Anyway my point is that if you search big cat sightings and attacks etc you should be able to find him. Not much help with your fallen stock but might put your mind at rest (or not) about big cats!!
-
Have sent it to your hotmail account, didnt know how to attach it through pm. Let me know that you have got it!
i got it i will look at it better later as off to drop litlun to preschool now
-
Am in Aberdeenshire, people at the livery near to where I graze my sheep are always going on about big cats, one pal thinks she has seen it. I do, however, know there are a couple of badger setts not too far away from my fields which still leads me to believe it could be a badger. Fallen stock man was just pleased that as there was only half of her, ie no innards, underbelly, nothing on her throat/neck and her bones were vitually picked clean, she wasnt too heavy for him to pick up and get into his truck!!
Its just such a startling find and quite sad, I was quite fond of that ewe :( and another thing we are concerned about now is lambing, this is the 2nd taken in this way, hope whatever it is has just picked up on the fact that they might have been a bit weaker than the rest!!
Note to self, buy tent and pitch in field at lambing time!! :)
-
I too have had problems with badgers. If I have lost a sheep overnight all will be left is the outside. Guts etc will have all gone.
Also lambing time, if I wasn't there as they lambed, the badger would steal the lambs - and I lamb indoors!
-
I too have had problems with badgers. If I have lost a sheep overnight all will be left is the outside. Guts etc will have all gone.
Also lambing time, if I wasn't there as they lambed, the badger would steal the lambs - and I lamb indoors!
Sounds like mine is a badger as I first thought, thanks for that!!
Just showed the pic to my vet, her response.......................oh she's been eaten by crows!!! Some BIIIIIG crows around if they have eaten that much!!
Now am worried about lambing after your comment Khajou, but at least I am forewarned!!
-
I have seen crows and 2 foxes totally strip a carcass in half a day
-
I used to lamb in a big shed that had a five bar gate as the entrance. The ewes were then in individual pens (using sheep hurdles) either as lambing was about to start or straight afterwards. Mr Badger would get into the barn and steal the lambs from the pens! I thought I was going mad - I would pen up a pair of twins and the next time I checked there would be only one if I was lucky and one very upset ewe. There would be no sign of the other lamb. I did inspect the badger set one day and found a lambs foot at the entrance.
The barn door now has a metal sheet on it right down to the ground and this seems to have worked.
-
If anyone needs to see what's going on in the day (cos it never happens when watched), set up your camcorder to record on long play and leave pointed in the direction desired. Worked for me when needing to find a mysterious escape route... caught in the act. One escape route blocked. Foiled!
;)
-
If anyone needs to see what's going on in the day (cos it never happens when watched), set up your camcorder to record on long play and leave pointed in the direction desired. Worked for me when needing to find a mysterious escape route... caught in the act. One escape route blocked. Foiled!
;)
What was it that showed up on the camera?
All the best
Sue
Dark Brown Eggs
-
Bit off topic but:
Morning: All hens in run. Evening: Always same hen in garden. Checked perimeter fencing, seemed ok. Left camera on, went to work, came home - hen in garden. Checked camera - had put it on standard record - Doh! Did it again next day, that eve, hen in garden. Checked camera - she was leaping up at the fencing, holding on where it touched a bush on other side and very slowly squeezing through a practically none existent hole (hidden by bush so I totally missed it). She then just hopped down out of bush - one smug hen In garden.