[Coximus]

Well - its happend, a tups gone and got accross two fields and in with the ewes he covered last year, and a dozen of his own daughters - 4 weeks before I wanted any tups in. Interestingly the ewes split, perfectly, into two groups - the ones he had last year, and the ones he didnt (which were, incidentally to be the ones he should be) and they now travel round the field in two distinct un mixing flocks.........

Rounding them up is going to be a nightmare, as he sits and watches the girls come in but walks away, and wont follow (who dont mind being penned for food), and good tips, bar getting someone with a dog in as thats not do-able till late in the week?

otherwise is feb lambing for this lot and take out his daughters.

So bloody anoying as this lot were due to go to the easycare, not the hebridean. buggered the plans up royally.

[firther]

it'll be march lambing if its only just got in

[Coximus]

True, cant belive its october already, keep thinking aug bank hol was yesterday.

The bugger was waiting for me this morning, chased him out of the gate to find he loops round thru the hole in the hedge, at least I now know how he got in, amazing what they can do when they have their "duty" on their mind.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Sheep are so annoying sometimes, especially the rams. I've had a few of my lleyns being escape artists, I soon dispatched em though. How long do you give your rams? I give them 2yrs max. In the second year I buy another tup to cover the daughters, if the previous tup is a goodun I keep him for a few years, but I try not to cross him with his own daughters. I'm planning to lamb in march next year too. The positive side is I suppose the fact that the lambs will be well grown before winter. One interbreeding in sheep isn't too bad, just as long as it doesn't happen again. Are all hebs escape artists?

[Fleecewife]

<<<Are all hebs escape artists? >>>

No they're not, but if you leave a hole for them to step through then of course they'll step through it, especially with ewes on the other side.  That's sheep for you, not just Hebs. The blame is on the keeper who left the hole unrepaired in the first place  not the tup.

[Jukes Mum]

Oh no! You are having a rough time of it aren't you? This happened to you last week as well didn't it? 

[Coximus]

well a tup in the wrong field is a damn sight better than dead sheep! but for some reason far more anoying, as their is a living breathing thing I can blame for it.

Well the fencing hole isnt really a hole - more like burrowing, looks like a badger or fox has burrowed abit under the wire, and the Ram (teabag is his name - not my choosing) calmly puts his head under, lifts it up and trots through, interestingly at glance it is still stock proof coming back the other way!

Rams are rams, and horny rams are horny rams.

my experience is, Hebs arn't so much escape artists, as just very patient explorers, but they tend to return to the field they came from after a jaunt, the ewes at least, the rams seem to hunt down and polled ram they can and have a scrap, then tup a few commercials belonging to anyone but me, on their way home. (ANd that time was because a neighbour let them out............ into his fields (we often share grazing as it suits us), forgetting the road gate was open on his.

[firther]

True, cant belive its october already, keep thinking aug bank hol was yesterday.

The bugger was waiting for me this morning, chased him out of the gate to find he loops round thru the hole in the hedge, at least I now know how he got in, amazing what they can do when they have their "duty" on their mind.

I know time really does fly as you get older, where abouts in country are you, as I remember you mentioning stocksbridge on a previous post

[Marches Farmer]

One of our Badger Face ewes jumped two fences to the Southdown ram last year, then jumped back again.  She was supposed to go to the BF tup.  We were very surprised to find a white lamb in the field a fortnight before they were due to lamb.  It's grown into a very pretty, very calm teg which is going to a different SD ram this year, just to see what comes out.  We breed pure for replacements every other year but the crossbreeds usually go into the freezer or for barter.

[Coximus]

based north leeds between Wetherby and Otley - but have family in stocksbridge area so often go down to visit.

[Roxy]

I can sympathise with the burrowing.  We have badgers who did their way under the stock netting, and as my ewes are actually next door to the tup(!) this is a disaster waiting to happen.....I have to be very vigilant with the fence for new holes underneath.  But, to give him credit, the tup  (Gotland) is in with two wethers, and its actually one of the wethers who squeezes under, not the main man.  It would be a disaster if tup got through, as some of his daughters are in the field next door.  I do not want lambing up on our high ground until early April.

[firther]

a fellow Yorkshire man then coximus, I put my tups in yesterday but I'm not expecting anything to happen for a few days

[Me]

Tup of mine smashed through a gate last night, broke the back of the timber out behind the latch bolt.

Fortuitously, I had taken the precaution, of tying his tubes in a big reef knot/bowline hitch last year so no early lambs for me - HA! (nice try)! 

[Jukes Mum]

Fortuitously, I had taken the precaution, of tying his tubes in a big reef knot/bowline hitch last year so no early lambs for me - HA!

Out of interest, is this 'lower risk' to the chap than castrating?

[Me]

Depends on the age of the ram, a big ram cutting off his knackers is risky, big vessels to bleed etc vs. cutting and tying avascular structures. Castrating when young is very low risk