Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Escaped Sheep  (Read 11884 times)

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #15 on: December 24, 2014, 05:27:28 am »
I'm not surprised that the farmer is fuming! Though the neighbour thought to keep the lambs safe, he should have had the wit to put them in an empty field.
It really won't pay to fall out with your neighbouring farmers, especially as you are in the wrong, you may need help one day, so grovel a bit, pay the expenses and learn from this hard lesson!

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #16 on: December 24, 2014, 10:01:28 am »
Poor Cuddles!  You're clearly new to sheepkeeping, came on here for some moral advice and support, and have had (almost) nothing but ticking off!  (Including from me!)

So, you've had a misadventure, it may cost you a few quids and eating a bit of humble pie, but if you handle it well, you'll probably make an ally of that farmer, who hopefully will then help you out in times to come.

As will we :hug:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #17 on: December 24, 2014, 10:15:45 am »
Not sure of the finer points of this, don't think any 'law' has been broken, would be a small claims damages issue.
But......... someone else put them in to the field with the ewes so you would have a defence.

Even though de fence was broken :innocent:

Exactly. This is a storm in teacup bit of nonsense... sheep do/will escape and some well-intentioned 3rd party did the 'wrong' but reasonable thing. While it is upsetting for the guy who might/might not have had a closed herd it'd be all but impossible to make a claim against anyone. So it should be a case of folk sitting down together, apologising and figuring out a compromise.

The closed herd owner had as much responsibilty to have his stock gates padlocked and signed as did the one whose sheep escaped.

Escaping sheep happen all the time around here..and unlabelled, escaped sheep that you can't track explains half my tiny flock of pets (two made it here and we couldn't trace owners so they get permenant sanctuary). I've traced and had at least a dozen collected from my property over the last 2 years. Some come via the front gate, some wade up the streams, some find new holes in fencing. You can't find every hole in 2 miles of fencing every day..specially when half the fences are't mine.

daftest of all is that to call trading standards and get a flock number address costs the caller money...so no-one rings. If neighbours dont recognise the number or no-one comes looking then - well you can guess how easy it is for tags to get swapped. Most of the farmers round here only have a rudimentary idea of how many sheep they have anyway with the dead, missing, drowned and washed away etc.

It's easy with my few pet sheep.. we can see them from the house and go give treats and a pat twice a day.. and if they did escape it'd be straight to the house for rosebush.

mowhaugh

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Scottish Borders
    • Facebook
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #18 on: December 24, 2014, 11:49:11 am »
Poor Cuddles!  You're clearly new to sheepkeeping, came on here for some moral advice and support, and have had (almost) nothing but ticking off!  (Including from me!)

So, you've had a misadventure, it may cost you a few quids and eating a bit of humble pie, but if you handle it well, you'll probably make an ally of that farmer, who hopefully will then help you out in times to come.

As will we :hug:

Was going to say something similiar, you won't be the first or the last person this has happened to.

One of the very few arguments I have had with my OH was over a similar situation, we took a batch of tups to Oban mart, one didn't reach the reserve price, I felt that on this ocassion we should have just sold it as it really wasn't great, we brought it the 5 hours home, it jumped 2 fences, raped my ewe lambs, they all had to be injected and then we got £70 for it in the fat. 

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #19 on: December 24, 2014, 01:28:05 pm »
Go and see the owner of the sheep and shake your heads together in disbelief at the stupidity of the neighbour who put the lambs in the first field to hand, without first finding out where they belonged.  Say, "Of course, I understand that you won't want a load of crossbreed lambs appearing in May, so what do you think is the best thing to do next?"  If it's injecting or buying the lambs or paying the vet's bill if the lambs have problems lambing because they're too young or the lambs are too big, just pay up and look big about it.  The farmer will respect you, the word will get around the district and you'll have earned many Brownie points and maybe a friend.  Get aggressive, defensive or anything at all negative and the word will go round just a fast but you'll have exactly the opposite.

Bramblecot

  • Joined Jul 2008
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #20 on: December 24, 2014, 01:37:01 pm »
Get round pronto to apologize and grovel, grovel, grovel!  Especially as you are new to the area - or your name will be mud among the farming folk :(
Yes, it happens,  :sheep: :sheep: stray, and every winter we round up a few wanderers from various neighbours.  But I would be  :rant: if a ram got in with my ewe lambs (it shouldn't happen as all gates are padlocked).  It's pretty easy to heave a small sheep over a fence though.
Go and make your peace :bouquet:

babysham

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Lancashire/Yorkshire Border
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #21 on: December 26, 2014, 10:36:18 am »
There is a case for padlocked gates here all round. I am surprised a Pedigree owner didn't have his gates padlocked. I just have "rif-raff" but padlock all mine to help against theft and the local chap that's likes to abandon his sheep when in trouble or short of money/land. My only problem here is a public footpath that the council put on a swinging gate but are going to replace for a style as a rambler left it open and my ponies escaped  :'(

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #22 on: December 26, 2014, 11:32:14 am »
I agree with most of what's been said, and particularly about grovelling and asking what the sheeps' owner wants to do. Basically he probably is exaggerating the problem while he assesses the situation. But if you ask him for his solution, then it puts him on the spot and he (hopefully) won't want to be seen to be unreasonable. The best case would seem to get them injected, if that's what he wants. I certainly would not agree to stand vet's charges for any assisted lambings or losses at lambing. You might as well give him an open cheque.
As for keeping ram lambs entire - there's nothing wrong with that as long as you have good fencing and keep them to yourself. (Don't think we need to dwell on that, as has been proved!)  I actually don't castrate mine now as I think it's cruel. Applying a ring may not hurt them for long, but I defy anyone to say that cutting off the blood supply to any part of the body is painless. (And I've said that solely as an opinion, and not as a basis for argument)
Keeping livestock is a long never ending learning curve. We all make mistakes and so long as you learn from them, then you can move on. 
 
« Last Edit: December 26, 2014, 11:37:25 am by landroverroy »
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

Cuddles

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Escaped Sheep
« Reply #23 on: January 06, 2015, 10:30:23 pm »
Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to reply.  I've spoken to the farmer concerned and offered to have all the lambs injected.  He seemed happy enough with the apology and now doesn't think they were in the field long enough to have done any damage. 

Interesting comments about castration, having read through various articles and posts on this forum I had originally wanted to get castrated lambs.  However, when I contacted the local breeders they seemed horrified at the idea of castrating their lambs. 

I'll put this down as a learning experience, send the boys to the chop shop, look out the fencing pliers and plan on starting my own flock of girls. 

Cuddles
:)


 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS