Author Topic: How far do escapee's go?  (Read 9623 times)

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
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How far do escapee's go?
« on: September 11, 2011, 05:33:42 pm »
A few large lambs have gone awol. they were bottle lambs, very tame and come to a bucket but have been gone all day (can't find the hole where they escaped yet) so ...when sheep escape, does anyone have a rough idea of how far they will go? could it be absolutely miles because thats what's on the outside of our fencing  ::)
pretty sure they aren't nicked as its almost impossible to get into our land with trailor etc unless you live in the house  ;D
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2011, 05:37:05 pm »
Yell loudly and rattle the bucket and they just might come bounding back.  They could travel miles though if they've got wanderlust.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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bigchicken

  • Joined Nov 2008
  • Fife Scotland
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2011, 07:13:30 pm »
I had a couple of ram lambs escape last year I found them after about a week a mile away entertaining themselves among a large flock of blackys this was during all the deep snow so after tuping time. I would think that they maybe could be with there own kind so look for them among you neighbours sheep. Hope you find them safe and sound.
Shetland sheep, Castlemilk Moorits sheep, Hebridean sheep, Scots Grey Bantams, Scots Dumpy Bantams. Shetland Ducks.

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2011, 07:17:18 pm »
Probably not far. It's a bit early for the tup lambs to have girls up their noses which is usually why they stray! Where are their mums? I second rattling a bucket and shouting  :)

TheCaptain

  • Joined May 2010
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2011, 08:03:17 pm »
My lot went AWOL last monday after we weaned the lambs, thought they'd been rustled until I found them 3 miles down the road - 1 Ram, 1 Ram lamb, 9 ewes and three orphans (the traitors!!!).  Some kindly soul had stuffed them into a field for me!

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2011, 08:10:15 pm »
If they were Ryealnds, as far as the next clump of grass  ;D

Hope they turn up soon, safe and sound.  :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:

Corrie Dhu

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2011, 09:27:10 pm »
Most lambs would just hang around on the other side of the fence.  But if something chased them further away (even someone walking with no dog for instance) they could have got lost.  Hope you find them tomorrow.  Of course if they are Shetlands they are probably 20 miles away by now  ;D

little blue

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Derbyshire
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2011, 09:33:32 pm »
hope you find them....
Little Blue

katie

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • worcs
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2011, 03:27:25 pm »
Oh dear, I'll keep a look out!

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2011, 05:09:56 pm »
They turned up yet, plums? :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:

spikey_fridge

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • stroud gloucestershire
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2011, 08:36:09 pm »
mine wandered about a mile away. shout for them and rattle, they might bleat at you like mine did.
what are the legal consequences of lost sheep?

piggy

  • Joined Oct 2008
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2011, 09:36:04 pm »
Hi plums i hope you have found them by now i know how you must of been feeling from experience,
Spikey fridge this is what happened to me,last year 4 days before fireworks night my sheep 20 of them vanished after reports from neighbours tracked them down about 2 miles away,because they were not the tamest or happy to be herded with a dog we had a complete knightmare(they are soays)they had gone over to the hall of our village and they only have cattle so the fencing wasnt sheep proof,they did however have a corner pen to catch the cattle that was sheep proof but whilst i mangaed to catch the 5 tamest ones the others just wouldnt play ball,we tryed for the next 3 days to catch the rest but no sucess they were quite happy living with the cattle,it all came to a head on fireworks night morning when they were having a shoot which made them move on and i had a call to say they were on the railway track,went down to the track to find that they had been holding trains up for the last 2 hours,railtrack were great had a team of 8 men and in the end we managed to get them in the trailer in the pouring rain,it was all over the news major delays due to sheep on the line,the little buggers were walking infront of the train and wouldnt move,train was blasting his horn but they just didnt care i did have to laugh as i was all cryed out at that point a very very stressfull few days.
I asked the railtrack guy if this was a rare thing but it said its always happening every week they have calls about cows on the line,thanked the guys for helping catch the sheep and thought nothing more about it until i had a call from this guy to say that railtrack wouldnt be charging me for the delays on there trains,he did tell me the amount they would be fined but i cant remember the exact figure i think it was around £15,000 but had they have of tryed to claim off of me i think they would have been at a complete loss which is why i think they didnt,the track wasnt fenced and anybody could just of wandered on to it.
I was luckly when they wandered off they did cross a road but it was a very small back road with little traffic,my main worry was that next to the hall was a major A road so i was luckly,even to this day we dont know how they got out,all fencing was in tack and we have a 5 foot boundry fence,all we can think of is that the fireworks frightened them,sadly though i made the descion that the ones that wouldnt be caught went for saughter it wasnt my long term plan for them but if they had of got on to that main road and a person had of be hurt or killed then i couldnt live with my self.

Sandy

  • Guest
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2011, 11:59:45 pm »
I remember my uncle lived on the edge, well a few hundred yards from, the edge of a cliff and some sheep jumped or fell off to a lower ledge on a regular basis, my uncle rescued one and had it for his dinner so got a huge fine and his rope taken away, he may have helped it fall knowing him but, the farmer said if they start going over to the edge he has to get rid of them as they all tend to follow...I suppose that's where the saying comes from, one silly or adventurous sheep leading all the others!! Hope you have found yours now plumbs!!

spikey_fridge

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • stroud gloucestershire
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2011, 07:29:47 am »
plumbs, it's worth knocking on any doors if houses are around. someone might just have seen them going off in a general direction. i'm lucky, my two are very tame. the ronaldsay is like a dog and he just stood there while i approached him.
hope you find them!

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
    • Facebook
Re: How far do escapee's go?
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2011, 07:49:15 am »
Hello  :wave:  sorry, only just managed to login (my little brain is no good with technology at times!!)
yep, they all came back (wagging their tails behind them etc  ::)  ) looking though butter wouldn't melt...
I'd tried calling and bucket shaking but to no avail, we'd even driven round and round looking for lost sheep.  There is a hole and I can't find it. Hubby and I spent saturday mending any holes we could fine yet they still found one.
Katie - your two lambs were the ones who raised the alarm, they didn't escape but bleated to tell us about their naughty friends bless them!
and to top it all, the wind had made some of my strip fencing insecure and the goats decided to limbo under it while we were in the sheep field - aaaaagh!! animals, who'd have 'em?!
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

 

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