The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: spikey_fridge on May 07, 2010, 10:37:02 pm
-
well it was bound to happen sooner or later. two of my three sheep legged it up to the woods and wouldnt come back... buckets, nuts, calling, clucking...nothing fetched them back and after a couple of hours i had just about given up so came home to make a calming cup of tea.
half an hour later, who should be bleating at the back gate (shut due to 3rd one left behind) but the two renegades.
so, my question... do sheep return home at dusk or was this just a fluke?
-
Well Spikey, I can only comment on mine, and they do. I have two pet lambs here who keep escaping and they arrive back before dark every time. I have had ewes to the same, although one Welsh native would go missing for days on end and just show up when she felt like it, but she was the exeption rather than the rule!
-
During the winter/lambing time our lot live in a couple of smaller paddocks near the house, but after they've all lambed safely, we open the gates and give them access to the fields the horses have grazed all winter, where they do a lovely job clearing rough bits, trimming hedges, weeding etc. All in all, about 40 acres in 4 different fields (and if they wanted they could go onto the neighbouring 200 acres of moorland, but they don't seem to bother, preferring our sweet grass to the rough heathery stuff. Without fail the entire flock come home every evening and spend at least a couple of hours loitering in the yard, napping and generally chilling out.
Mic
-
hmmmm interesting!
problem is, i have an intact ram so worried about him scarpering and sowing his oats elsewhere. booking the vet at the end of the month to come and sort him out (sorry gentlemen!).
i took 3 of them on (2 north ronaldsay, 1 bororay) expecting wethers >:( but now find myself running out of grass. i was thinking of getting rid of one but they seem quite a close unit.
shearing and worming today then sticking a collar on the ram so i can lead him to neighbours grass tomorrow.
it's good to know they do come back.
just for the record, i am a complete novice with sheep but did the research and paperwork but find i am learning as i go
-
Last year we had our first lambs (orphans) and when they were young they were in a pen by the mobile home in which we live so that we had easy access for feeding and could keep a close eye on them. When we introduce them to the field they would reguarly escape into our neighbours field, find their way to the gate (thankfully it was open) come up the driveway and round to the mobile home and call until we took them back to the field. It would happen several times a day!!! Not quite sure how they knew where to go but always did!
Claire
-
They will try to venture to where they know its safe for the evening.
If thats not available then they tend to go to the top of a hill/slope (so if they get freaked by something they can run downhill away from it!!)
Ta
Baz