[Rosepip]

Hi lovely people, I'm new here, and spending the evening, trying to find best tactics for keeping crows etc from lambs....a farmer who's not local and keeping sheep about to lamb in the adjacent field to mine, only seems to visit every few days, last year apparently a lot of the lambs were blinded/killed, and my other elderly neighbour gets very distressed and spends her time, getting sheep unstuck and trying to see off any predators. We have a fair few magpies and buzzards also. What can we do to help, apart from a slightly distracted JR, to do the rounds, I could make a scarecrow....yes exactly... hang dead/fake crows from visible points...not much point I'm afraid talking to the farmer, and I know not really my business, but what are you going to do if you see something vulnerable in imminent danger...any thoughts much appreciated....Thank you, Rose

[shep53]

Never had a problem with buzzards ,magpies and only occasionally with carrion ,hooded crows its the ravens and black backed gulls  that can be a problem . If a ewe is lambing  and having a problem then they can take tongues and eyes of lambs stuck in the birth canal or if the mother is stuck and can't get up to lick the new born then raptors will have a go at mother and lamb  and of course if a ewe is cast on its back or side then they may try to  take an eye .  To stop them you either lamb inside  or you are watching every ewe lambing in daylight hours and checking regularly for cast sheep .  Shooting is not an option unless you apply for a licence in Scotland .     Be thankfull you don't have sea eagles as well 

[Fleecewife]

So this is a problem on someone else's land, not your own.  It is a requirement for anyone keeping livestock to visit at least once a day, so if this farmer is not doing that then he can be reported.  I think you would need to keep a diary of events for a few days to show that the animals were not being checked regularly, especially as it's at lambing time, rather than relying on hearsay. There are various government agencies you could approach, but here the best result was from the Scottish SPCA (very different to the English RSPCA) who dealt with the problem effectively, promptly and with finality  .


How much you interfere has to be up to you and your conscience.  If you see problems then contact the farmer every time, either by phone or by visiting his house to tell him of a problem requiring his presence.  There is clearly something weird going on here - we have only twice in 23 years had a problem with corvids or buzzards attacking 'downed' sheep or lambs, and yet there are plenty around, even ravens. Be sure of your facts before taking action.   I don't know if you would be justified in calling a vet to a stuck lamb, or if the vet would attend, when it is someone else's animal.