[Me]

Lost lambs last year, shot the culprit (12g). Lost one lamb this year, shot the culprit (I saw this fella chasing in daylight hours and squeaked him off) and shot his friend on the same spot the evening after, nothing the evening after that (thankfully). Both years I had a fox trap set in the area for a month pre-lambs (caught a lot of cats!). How do other people sort the problem? Any proven ideas new or old? Does stockholm tar actually work or is it a myth? I am on my own and the fields are small and well spread across the country so lamping isn't a great option, I never have and really don't want to snare...

[Jukes Mum]

We've snared 2, but we only set them when we are about and check them every hour or so. Not the most humane, but successful so far. It seems really sad; such a beautiful animal, but has to be done :-(

[Yeoman]

What age were the lambs when the fox took them?
Were they all healthy?

[Me]

Cross bred Lleyn lambs. Circa 2-3 days (ish) and yes they were healthy. Under first time lambed ewes/ewe lambs. One lamb last year had a fractured skull with four canine marks so didn't look too clever for a day or two but pulled through.

[verdifish]

Isn't snareing illegal

[Me]

No I don't believe it is as long as the snare is set to hold rather than kill ie. it does not progressively tighten when the animal struggles to free itself

[Fleecewife]

My neighbour swears by spraying the lambs, top and tail, with Pledge furniture polish.  Sounds hilarious I know but he doesn't seem to lose any.  He takes his lambs up to the top field which is very isolated and next to a plantation so lots of cover for foxes, when the lambs are well mothered up at 2-3 days.  So the lambs and ewe recognise each other by sound as well as smell by then.  I'm surprised really that lambs that age were taken.  Here foxes are a real danger during birth, when one lamb is up and the second is being born, so a fox can sneak in and take the firstborn.  This is a problem because the ewe has gone off on her own to give birth, so has no mates to help defend the lambs.  Once they are older, the ewes all sit in a circle at night, with all the lambs to the inside, and they can give a fox a really good duffing, dogs too.

[shep53]

 Have  a look at ORLDEN fox repellent from Ireland  , tried it last year seems to work  .   we are part of a fox control club , also use traps .  We have  thousands of acres of  trees  in and around all fields so loose  20 - 50 lambs per year always twins from young mothers  up to a week old . 

[Porterlauren]

Snare.
Shoot.
Trap.
Dig.

And then keep fingers crossed.

[Porterlauren]

Shep - If you are losing that many and have many acres of trees etc. . . . i'd get together a good little hound pack, a few guns and a terrier man, and spend the month before lambing having a cull in the area.

[DartmoorLiz]

We're lucky enough to live within earshot of the local hunt and have no difficulty with foxes - we have truly free range ducks and no lambs lost.  A neighbour gets a chap in with night sights on a 22 which she says is very effective.


I wonder if hunts used to discourage fox control so they had something to chase and now encourage it so they stay within the law. 

[Thyme]

I want to suggest you try guardian llamas just because your posts about it would likely be so entertaining

[shep53]

PORTERLAUREN  the fox control club already  hunts out dens , you've never been to Argyll ?  the thousands of acres of  SPRUCE  are ours and beyond that 10's of thousand acres , so you kill local foxes and more move in ,  its something you have to live with , and for some eagles also take lambs

[Hevxxx99]

We're lucky enough to have fields right up on the grouse moors in North Yorks and the gameeepers are sh!t hot at keeping predator numbers right down.  No shilly-shallying with dogs and huntsmen possibly with hidden agendas not to get numbers too low around here! 

My biggest headache is lampers with lurchers not thoroughly under control and dog walkers with badly behaved pets.  I lost several turkeys and ducks over winter to those.

[Porterlauren]

Shep, yes I have, and now I see your problem. You just have to do what you can and keep your 

Hevx - It's a shame you've had trouble with irresponsible lurchermen, it gives the rest of us a bad name!