The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Wildlife => Topic started by: melholly on April 19, 2014, 06:57:58 pm
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Evening,
I reckon this is the oddest thing I've ever posted on here BUT...out this evening seeing to the sheep and took DD on a wildflower spotting walk armed with her new book. Anyway, stumbled across 2 'kidneys' - large, around2-3 inches long. One of the bloody dogs polished one of them off (now in boot room in case of 'tummy ache') But I've not seen anything like it at all. Nothing is grazing on this field, no bones/feathers, blood around. Looks like a fox has tred a path a few times through the hedge and they were found about 2 metres away from the hedge.
I just can't work out what animal is big enough for kidneys that big and why and what leaves just them...?
There is a country road down the side of the field and it did cross my mind perhaps somebody's lashed them over from the car...but that didn't make sense either!!!!!
Any clues??
Mx
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Any other blood around?
Could have been a deer, killed and gutted, and the kidneys kept, then discarded on route with the carcass somewhere.
Bit far fetched though.
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No blood other than around the kidneys. However, this morning there's half a hen/cockerel in middle of field - fresh so I'm thinking whatever 'it' was it's likely to have been eaten by the fox. Only this fox doesn't like kidney?!!
All very odd!
Mx
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Some random thoughts...
How's the dog that ate one of the kidneys?
Just wondering if the kidneys could be poisoned, put out by someone for the fox.
The size you describe, they'll be lamb's kidneys, I'd think.
I guess if someone was sheep-rustling and butchering, they maybe would discard the kidneys and liver - parts where any meds would be concentrated. (Because when you rustle sheep you don't know what meds they've had and whether they are still within any meat withdrawal period.)
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Definitely not somebody making bullocks nearby?
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Well I'd have guessed lambs kidneys too judging by size etc. The dog is absolutely fine (lab so cast iron stomach anyway!) I was worried about possible poisoning. I'd have been bloomin' furious though as there's no right of way or anything like that on our land.
I've since found some rib bones around so can only presume fox but those kidneys and there was absolutely no doubt they were kidneys, will puzzle me forever I think!
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my dog found a lambs hind foot in my hedge a few days ago - seemed a bit decomposed but that wouldn't stop her. I concluded that one of my neighbours is probably disposing of his dead in the nearby woods and bits are being scattered by the wildlife - I suspect this neighbour of being the one who dumped dead ewes in the stream that borders my land in winter 12-13.
your kidneys could be something similar?
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my dog found a lambs hind foot in my hedge a few days ago - seemed a bit decomposed but that wouldn't stop her. I concluded that one of my neighbours is probably disposing of his dead in the nearby woods and bits are being scattered by the wildlife -
Your assumption is offensive to farmers - and this farmer :farmer: is offended.
I find parts of my own lambs when I do my rounds. Sometimes I do not find all the parts. It does not mean I am dumping my dead, it means things are dying - not always of medical reasons - and wildlife or local or tourists' dogs are making off with parts of them before I get to them.
It's bad enough dealing with the detritus of such, without finding that the general opinion of the non-farming public is that I must be dumping my dead lambs.
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my dog found a lambs hind foot in my hedge a few days ago - seemed a bit decomposed but that wouldn't stop her. I concluded that one of my neighbours is probably disposing of his dead in the nearby woods and bits are being scattered by the wildlife -
Your assumption is offensive to farmers - and this farmer :farmer: is offended.
I find parts of my own lambs when I do my rounds. Sometimes I do not find all the parts. It does not mean I am dumping my dead, it means things are dying - not always of medical reasons - and wildlife or local or tourists' dogs are making off with parts of them before I get to them.
It's bad enough dealing with the detritus of such, without finding that the general opinion of the non-farming public is that I must be dumping my dead lambs.
Well the five entire dead sheep with their ear tags cut off weren't carried down the road to the bridge and dumped in my stream by dogs or wildlife - so it's a reasonable assumption in my case.
I note that in your quote you edited out my sentence that indicated the reason for my assumption - so you must have read it - but feel free to be offended if it makes you happy.
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Our farmer boots his lambs across the field :( ((while my mum was over)) :-\ she's still going on about it!
Edited - 'our farmer' meaning the guy who tends to the sheep around the fields of our house, kitchen window over looks a large chunk.
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I once phoned a neighbouring farmer to tell him there was a dead sheep in his field, next day it was just over the fence in another neighbours field.
Sadly not all farmers are as responsible as you Sally.
(please don't read anything else into this reply, no sarcasm or otherwise is intended)
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I've had much the same experience with our farmer neighbour next door. He has his "dead hole" in a small sunken copse in the field up from us. As perviously described - ears it off and left for the crows. Our local fallen stock man commented that "every farmer's got one" when we told him about it a couple of years ago.
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I remember living near a dairy farmer. One day the smell of barbeque was overwhelming. i didn't twig until someone told me he was burning deadstock - this was about 3 years after the F&M outbreak :o
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unfortunately we have one the same next to us, rarely checks his sheep (its usually me that lets him know if he has a ewe in trouble etc) and if there's any fallen stock either my dog finds it first and stinks the house out for days...or the guy shoves into the little river that runs between the 2 lochs which then flows down into the big loch where people fish etc. Worst of it being that we have an exemption because if our location so we can dispose of fallen stock ourselves rather than the knacker etc so no excuse for it.