[SallyintNorth]

One great way I have found for moving a recalcitrant sheep, instead of dragging it along by the horns, or anything else, is to turn it round and push it, nose between your legs.  They don't seem to resist then, and no-one gets hurt.  The Fleecewife patented shoving a sheep method     Worth a try.  It also reinforces passing motorists in their belief that strange practices take place in the countryside 

Yup, BH uses that technique, taught it to me some years ago.

It's part of a set of sheep-moving tactics that work on the 'sheep will try to go where you don't want them' principle.. in this case, the sheep thinks you want to pull it, so pulls away.  The critical thing is to keep it thinking that, so you have to judiciously pull it towards you and steer while letting it back away

Another tactic based on the same principle is to walk into the sheep from the exit you want them to leave by.  They naturally assume that you are wanting to drive them, and that the last place you want them is where you just came from.    Et voila

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Talking about horns on lambs I have a ram lamb with big scurs, well I can tell you he is for slaughter and not breeding as he would fail.

[Me]

The heads all end up in a big bin in Dunbia but strangely thats where all breed societies seem to focus their efforts!

[Fleecewife]

Talking about horns on lambs I have a ram lamb with big scurs, well I can tell you he is for slaughter and not breeding as he would fail.

Why/how would he fail?  In the show ring, yes, in a fight, yes, but breeding?  You'd think it would be the other way round - less energy into growing big horns, more energy for sperm growth and keenness to work.  On St Kilda, when the big Soay tups have spent all their energy, and eaten all their grass and are dying off in the big crash, it's the little scurred chaps who're still on the go, so get to mate with any surviving ewes.  Horns are high maintenance.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

My sheep are pedigree Lleyns and my flock have to look perfect, otherwise any potential buyers would steer clear. I have to be ruthless and think about what would look tip top in the buyers eyes, as well as what I think is tip top. Am also using only registered tups, so he would never pass, as Lleyn sheep traditionally do not have horns. It is considered a failiure in the breeding and could give a bad reputation, so he's for the freezer.

[Fleecewife]

My sheep are pedigree Lleyns and my flock have to look perfect, otherwise any potential buyers would steer clear. I have to be ruthless and think about what would look tip top in the buyers eyes, as well as what I think is tip top. Am also using only registered tups, so he would never pass, as Lleyn sheep traditionally do not have horns. It is considered a failiure in the breeding and could give a bad reputation, so he's for the freezer.

Oh I see - you mean he would fail to pass muster as a registered tup - fair enough.  I thought you meant he wouldn't have the wherewithal to breed    We always have meat boys too - keep the family fed all year 

[verdifish]

My sheep are pedigree Lleyns and my flock have to look perfect, otherwise any potential buyers would steer clear. I have to be ruthless and think about what would look tip top in the buyers eyes, as well as what I think is tip top. Am also using only registered tups, so he would never pass, as Lleyn sheep traditionally do not have horns. It is considered a failiure in the breeding and could give a bad reputation, so he's for the freezer.

Just a tip fir you water buffalo farmer but if your trying to sell pedigree sheep that shouldn't be horned its not a good idea to come on here advertising the fact that you have a less Tha perfect flock !!! Thus creating scurs ,whats more I'm not sure your sheep are primatives either so id take an add out in the farmers weekly about your horned Lleyns !!!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I understand what you're saying. I won't be selling any ram lambs for a good few years just yet, not until I can afford a top Tup. I am focusing on breeding the ewes atm, so that when the time comes they will be a top quality product. Am probably about 5 years away. That would make the problem worse, any good farmer would know about the Lleyn and I would never be able to sell him, plus he isn't as good as the rest, confirmation wise, so just good for the slaughter me thinks.

[fsmnutter]

Not sure what your lleyns have to do with the original post wbf, likewise with a large number of your comments on this forum, perhaps you could start a thread of your own if you have a different topic to discuss.
I apologise for the terminology I used, having looked back I realise I used our colloquial term for drafting out the correct sheep, which is that we say we're 'dragging out' the correct sheep. I can see how this looks bad. I do not drag sheep by the horns, not only is it unpleasant and painful, but having seen it done, it is clearly harder to move them like that! I do sometimes use a horn to catch hold in a gentle manner as it generally seems much less unpleasant and painful than grabbing by fleece when you can't catch the chin. Having started lambing as a very small 13 year old girl, I learned technique over brute strength as I would never have caught a commercial ewe by rugby tackle or grabbing and throwing them down, so I learned to corner them and take control of the head. From there I could lay a ewe down to lamb her or steer her to a pen, usually backwards as described. I find that sometimes one of our younger Hebrideans will be flightier, and it isn't always possible to catch the chin or head, but gently taking a horn in order to then take the head for further handling saves chasing them back round to corner them again and causes the least stress.

[Fleecewife]

fsmnutter - you're forgiven  .  Doesn't that just show though how reading something, without seeing the person speaking, can lead to big misunderstandings.
I think it's been an interesting discussion though 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I always thought dragging a sheep by the horns could damage the horns. I read somewhere that if you put a horned sheep in an atv trailer tie it by the horns to the trailer to stop it from jumping out.when I move " my hornless sheep" I have one hand at the base of their neck near their chest and one on their backend the hand on the back pushes em whilst the hand near the chest steadies them and stops them from going too fast.

[heyhay1984]

Our Ronnie wether has a beautiful set of horns which I must admit I sometimes hold onto with one hand to keep the front end still whilst using the other hand to push his backside in the right direction to get him out of the way of whatever he's got his nose into!

The others get the same but a hand under the chin instead, I can't reach his chin past his horns!