The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: princesspiggy on March 20, 2012, 01:55:21 pm
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is a single wether enough to keep a ram company (both born last yr)? i have a tiny flock of 8 borerays plus another 6 hebrideans kept separately.
my ewes are inside pre-lambing and now, after being with the girls all winter, the ram and wether are alone.
problem is - they wont settle. they had a new paddock with clean grazing where i was hoping theyd stay til nov, but they r jumping out and wandering round the farm.
i have another group of toughnut heb rams i dont want them to mix with.
i have ordinary stock fencing which they can jump, but they have only been jumping since i took the ewes away.
any suggestions to settle them, or have i got to raise the fences? i dont want them wandering down the road to the neighbours flock ??? ::)
would a top strand of electric work? they all have horns.
thanks
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I certainly hope one wether is enough.
Can they see the ewes? How many strand high is the fence?
You could try putting a taut line of electric tape around the perimeter top of the fence (not connected to elec), it worked for a friend who had the same problem - the sheep didn't like trying to leap over a white 'moving' line, whereas the more solid stock fencing stood it's ground, didn't blow a bit in the wind, and took their weight nicely when they took a leap.
Mind you, very little will ever keep a determined sheep in, especially one with it's mind on other things.
:sheep:
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the ewes r in the barn so they cant see them. i think they r looking for them, as they havent jumped in with the hebrideans but have certainly been talking thru the fence. the field i wanted them in is faraway at the back of farm, well away from the ewes, rams and neighbours sheep..
its standard "rylock" stock fence, about 4'
i also have 8 strand barbed wire fence too but they wiggle thru that and lose half their fleece.
ta
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Try electric - but use wire, not poly and try and run it off the mains. Three strands is enough for bigger sheep, but you might want to try a 4th. I imagine those primitives can clear 4' easily - you could also try a couple of strands of barbed above it.
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Barbed wire worries me - nasty stuff - I won't have it on the place.
:sheep:
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we inherited miles of barbed wire with the far and its stil there.
spent a fortune on new stock fencing and plain wire and most has been damaged in someway or other.
we had a lamb yesterday :love: :love: :love:
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our 1st lamb :D :D
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:) :) :) :) :) :) lovely lamb
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cute what breed?
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hes a boreray, and hes called Braveheart! :D :D :D
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thats a big name to grow into :love:
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we r "B" this year, a good scottish name! our goat kid is bonnie prince charlie. i will have to research a bit more to name the next ones! i think its good for my kids to have good/long names for the animals - gives a talking point and helps pronounciation and memory ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D my 3 yr old daughter couldnt remember Braveheart's name so she called him Love - close, lol! but bonnie prince charlie rattles off her tongue pretty quick now!
Braveheart is off up north as a breeding ram at weaning so hopefully he'l grow into it!
:D :D :wave: