[Remy]

I've had a dreadful year with losses - two pedigrees lost to worms early in the year; another found dead in the field from accumulated copper poisoning (before I got it), several lambs at lambing time.  I thought I was over it but in September I was gutted to lose Dixie, one of my favourite Gotland ewes while I was away in Cornwall. I came back to find her skeleton in the field and never knew what happened to her apart from the fact she'd been eaten by foxes/badgers/crows.  Hubby had been checking them but didn't know the precise numbers he was just looking for ill sheep and hadn't spotted anything untoward. I had only been away four days and she'd been fine when I left  . Fortunately I was left with her lovely daughter who was turning out to be just as friendly as Dixie had been, feeding out of my hand and not flighty like the others.


Then today I was doing my usual headcount and one Gotland lamb was missing - my heart sank when I saw fleece strewn all over the field, then the remains of two hind legs.  I was praying it wasn't Dixie's daughter but was devastated to find it was  .  I can only think it has to be foxes - as we have heard foxes calling to each other right next to the house recently and droppings in our garden which has not happened before.  I didn't think foxes could take grown lambs - these are April babies and well grown.  But I did see a huge fox sloping across the field at the weekend 


I really don't know what to do with the other lambs now, they are all females being grown on to be bred from next year.  Have anyone else had problems with foxes taking grown lambs?  We do have badgers too but I'm sure it's the foxes, there isn't any other explanation as she was fine the last time I looked and can't believe she would just drop down dead overnight!  Do foxes kill in pairs?

[trying]

I'm so sorry, sometimes its hard to understand why things are so bad when you try so hard, as regards foxes, I do not profess to know a lot but I do know that a vixen will take her young out hunting and I know this from personal experience, perhaps there are some hunters in your area who would be pleased to stake out your field for a night or two?
Good luck Ann

[Foobar]

I agree with the previous post, see if you can find a local gun who will stake out your field.  It could even be dogs.  (Ask at your local agri merchant if you don't know anyone yourself, they will have contacts)

[SallyintNorth]

So sorry to hear of your loss, Remy 

Sheep can and do drop down dead overnight; we had one just this week.  They do say of sheep, often the first indication you have of any illness is a carcase.  They're very good at masking symptoms, even when you're watching them closely they can appear symptomless one day and dead the next.

If she was killed rather than died, then I'd say it's far more likely to be badgers than foxes; generally I'd say foxes can't manage healthy adult or near-adult sheep and don't try.

The fleece and remnants that you found - was any of the fleece/skin turned inside out?  If so, that's a sure sign of badgers.

Otherwise I'd suspect dogs sooner than I'd suspect foxes.  Cubs will be hunting on their own now; I suppose there's an outside chance some siblings have stayed teamed up, but you don't hear about it.  Foxes will, of course, clear up any dead or disabled sheep in short order, however.

Are you up to date with fluking, minerals, vaccinations?  If you run the sheep around the field for a while, are any of them noticeably more out of breath / labouring to breathe than the others?  It's been a horrible year for stock, they are all struggling more at this time than they would normally be, so any ailments will take a greater toll than they would in a more normal year. 

[Cheviot]

Hi,
Sorry to hear of your loss, we had one taken the other week, all that was left was wool and a lower jaw bone which was completely stripped of flesh, none of the sheep had looked ill the day before this happened, although I couldn't see any blood anywhere, so hopefully it had died before being eaten. I think it was probably badgers that took ours as there is a large sett close by, and some of the wool was not far from the sett. It's very worrying as once this has happened, well, you just think they will come back and do it again  .
I'm sorry I don't have any answer as to what can be done to prevent it, as I have a fox that has been taking first new born lambs in the spring and then my poultry, one at a time, since June, I have lost almost 50 birds in that time, we have snares set, a fox trap set up, and a guy who comes to control foxes, and although we have culled a number of foxes in that time, we just cannot catch the one that is doing the damage.
Hope you get it sorted soon, as it is very worrying.
Regards
Sue

[Rosemary]

  And I thought my morning was rubbish 

[Anke]

Remy - things like enterotoxeamia (pulpey kidney) can kill an apparently healthy lamb/kid in a few hours - and it seems that this year even vaccinated lambs/kids get it! Most likely that something like this happened, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it.
Still most upsetting when it happens, so sorry for all your losses this year.

[Mammyshaz]

  that's a bad morning! 

[woollyval]

So sorry  Foxes and badgers will eat a carcase....but not rip it apart as quick as that  Are you sure it was not dogs? Sounds much more like dogs to me....or big cats

[jaykay]

I'm so sorry you've had such an awful time 

I tend to agree that I think the lamb probably died and then who knows who ate it.

It's been a very bad year for all sorts of diseases, with the wet weather and no sun over summer to kill off the bugs.

Have your neighbours had similar problems?

[colliewoman]

Aw hun I'm so sorry to hear you lost another
My lamby went from fine to dead in less than 12 hours and was fully innoculated
Chin up, it has to get better

[Tiva Diva]

Really sorry to hear of such a run of misery 
If you are worried that your sheep are being killed by foxes, dogs or whatever it might be worth investing in, or borrowing, a trail camera. This can be fixed at a suitable location and set up to photograph animals wandering near it. Look for any signs of a fox or badger trail to give you an idea of where to put it. It may be that someone is doing vermin control near you already: ask your neighbours, and if there is you can ask them if they'll do your patch too for a bit (with suitable reward!). Of course, if it's badgers, they can't be shot.
I know some friends who got a couple of alpacas and put them in with their sheep to protect them from foxes etc. and they seem to be earning their keep!
Of course, as others on this thread have said, it may be that the sheep have just died and the carcass has been mauled.
Hope you have no more losses 

[Remy]

Well there is a huge badger sett right next to the field (it's in a dividing hedge).  But how could a badger catch a lamb - surely the lamb could outrun it?  As to the fleece, it was impossible to tell if it was turned inside out as there was no skin whatsoever, just the wool scattered about the field.  The entire field is fairly recently stock fenced and my property is gated off from the road.  Stray dogs would have to get through the stock fencing, although I suppose if a fox can then it's possible .. but have never seen any strange dogs running loose since we've been here.

[luckylady]

So sorry for your losses Remy 

I know some friends who got a couple of alpacas and put them in with their sheep to protect them from foxes etc. and they seem to be earning their keep!

One of our vets keeps an alpaca in with his sheep as a guard 'dog' to good effect.  If you are convinced it is the local wildlife killing your lambs then perhaps an alpaca or two is worth serious consideration.  I hope things improve for you soon. 

[Blacksheep]

so sorry to read of your sad losses. It does sound very strange that older healthy lambs/sheep would be taken by foxes or badgers, but maybe if they are particularly laid back docile sheep they would allow a fox to come up closer to them perhaps leaving them more vulnerable to predation like this.    Larger dogs would be able to jump gates, possibly fences too. If you have neighbours with sheep it would certainly be worth finding out if they have noticed any problems too.
We have a large active badger sett in the corner one of fields and frequently see foxes, although as yet have not had any lamb, including newborns born in the fields taken by either.  However there is a large population of rabbits about and also our neighbours fields full of sheep, possibly including any sickly ones, so they may not have the hunger drive to need to take fit healthy animals here. However have had crow/raven attacks on healthy several week old lambs, but this has just been the lambs tails, presumably while they are sleeping.