[Hevxxx99]

Hi!

New around here, but you all seem to be a mine of information, so hope someone can help...

I have 10 well grown lambs and one or two in particular have started making a hobby of jumping over the fences and dry stone walls into my neighbour's field.  I seem to remember being told about some method of shackling two troublesome sheep together by an elderly farmer many years ago. 

The idea is obviously to make it too hard for the sheep to co-ordinate the jumping effort and they have to potter around in unison, grazing with each other etc.  It sounds a good idea and I have seen it in action, but have no idea of the length of tether needed between two sheep to be comfortable but not likely to become a hazard.

Has anyone got any knowledge or thoughts on this please?

[bangbang]

Raise your fence and sort your wall.

[Moleskins]

Don't know about the tying together bit, but when my sheep have gone 'over the wall' it's generally due to a lack of grass. Have they got enough to go at? Also what breed are they?
In the past I've had to do a bit of wall top fence to keep some in.

[Hevxxx99]

They're Nothern Mule wethers.

I think I may well have to put a top fence on the wall, at least as a temporary measure.  Grass is getting a bit short - they were due to go to market this Wednesday past but didn't due to the awful weather and flooding - but they've been jumping perfectly good fences for months, turning them into battered messes by half climbing in the process.  Up to now, it has been within my boundry so I've just fixed it up and carried on, but they are going onto someone else's land now, so rather more serious.  I'm not certain that the boundry fence isn't the neighbour's responsibility, but that isn't really the issue here.

[tizaala]

Catch the two trouble makers and keep them penned up till market time, 

[woollyval]

Feed them....if they are becoming a mess and losing weight jumping out its simple feed them....and attend to your fences....dosent matter who owns the boundaries of your ground the sheep should not be escaping.....

[shep53]

SELL first chance you get especially if grass is getting short,then repair and heighten your fences so you don't get a repeat next year .   You are now in a war, if sheep have been escaping for a day or two and you stop them then the odds favour you , but escaping for months, they now consider this normal and every repair you do they will try to find another way out, the odds are on their side

[colliewoman]

Eat them, feed the others up and mend the fences


In my experience once they know how to get out they will carry on and show the others too

[Hevxxx99]

Thanks.  They aren't losing condition: things aren't that grim yet! It's the fences that are battered messes, not the lambs! But they aren't "fat" yet either so not ready to slaughter.  I'm feeding them course mix and took them a bale of hay today in case they are feeling deprived of fibre.  I've got a private buyer coming to view my gimmers tomorrow - I think I'll try to persuade him that some nice big (strong) store lambs would be useful as well.

Meanwhile, I'm checking the marts for the next suitable sale as I really do need them gone.

I have got another 7 acres of good lush grass to move them onto if absolutely necessary (once I've fixed up a bit of shabby fence) but I think it is probably too rich for 10 half grown lambs.   

So, no one knows about coupling up sheep then?

[Hevxxx99]

Here's an example of two tups chained together to stop them fighting.  I've seen the same with flighty ewes. Mine have no horns and I've no idea about length of chain or whether it would be unwise on youngsters though.

[Hevxxx99]

These are my reprobates

[colliewoman]

I have heard of tying them together, but then I have heard of training a sheepdog pup by tying it to a trained one.
Personally it just doesn't sit right with me   I think fixing the fences will be a more humane option myself

[Hevxxx99]

Yes, long term, the fences need to be raised and strengthened. I was looking for short term solution to stop the jumping until they were fixed.  If I had a barn, I'd shut them in, but sadly I don't.  I think I agree that tying them together could be risky though, but possibly less so than tethering which was my other thought.

I hope that the lambs will be gone this time next week so that'll give me the winter to fix the fences before I get the next lot.  I don't think I'll get mules again though: the Texel crosses are far more amenable!

[Moleskins]

Having seen the suicidal tendencies of mine with a long bramble, the last thing I'd give a sheep is a length of rope