[waterbuffalofarmer]

Right I am absoloutely fuming! One of my lambs has been snatched by a fox sometime during the night, he was strong and healthy and yet he was still snatched. I went out to check them last thing last night before I went to sleep and they where all there and fine, I come this morning and he is missing, I scour the area and discover blood patches and bits of meat. I think it is time to 1 invest in a shotgun or 2 get in the fox hunters. Does anyone know of a good fox hunter in Ceredigion? For now I am bringing them into a building and there they will remain until further notice.

[Marches Farmer]

Could be a badger.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

could be, but one of my neighbours saw a fox hanging around, today. I have brought them in and have been going mad trying to build them a pen away from other animals, mainly newborn calves as I don't trust the calves at all and the lambs are only small. Managed to build a pen and need to patch up a few things before putting them in.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

has anyone else had fox problems this year? I know last year was terrible for fox problems.

[princesslayer]

No good advice WBF, but sorry to hear that, must be horrible   

[Raine]

We are having to keep all our lambs in a stable this year as we have seen a dog fox running round the sheep fields.  We are trying a fox trap at the moment, as we live in the middle of a residential area.

[Jethro Tull]

Sorry to hear that WBF. can anyone tell me how long lambs remain vulnerable to foxes, what sort of size do they need to be before they are "safe"?

[kelly58]

Does the fox take lambs when the ewes lamb in june ?  Know they are about just want to be prepared   

[Dogwalker]

Do you have a local hunt?
Here they come around fairly regularly and you can ask them to come if you've seen foxes about.
One of the local farmers comes and collect donations each year for their upkeep.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

No sadly we don't. Out here its mostly hill farmers with cattle and sheep. I have a neighbour who shoots them. I was told that the best thing is to find its earth and they lay in wait and shoot it. Whst does everyone think?

[Marches Farmer]

Once they know where the dining table is they'll keep returning.  If the ewes know they're about they'll form a protective ring with the lambs in the middle but that may be too late. 

[verdifish]

No sadly we don't. Out here its mostly hill farmers with cattle and sheep. I have a neighbour who shoots them. I was told that the best thing is to find its earth and they lay in wait and shoot it. Whst does everyone think?

Have you asked your neighbour for help shooting the culprits?  Foxes are indiscriminate and its only a question of time before he gets hit if he has livestock.  Ref your comment of investing in a shotgun it's not quite that easy.  Luckily... Another way to get someone to come and deal with them, look up your local gunshops  in the yellow pages,Google give them a call as they will know someone more than happy to come and do the deed..  this time of year it will most proberly be a vixen with cubs so she will be back tonight as sly as a fox.

[Bionic]

Sorry to hear about this WBF. The first year I lambed, and because mine were so previous (half a dozen lambs) a local farmer told me to keep the lambs in for the first week

I saw the local hunt were out here on Thursday but didn't hear any shooting going on.

[Melmarsh]

Sorry for your loss, I am quite paranoid about foxes, never lost a lamb yet but have had foxes moseying about. As I only have 3_4 ewes lambing these days and even when I had 30_40 I let them out by day and have them in at night until they are quite big. I am lucky to be able to do this but even then have seen a fox in the field in the middle of the day eyeing them up !! At my previous holding my daughter came in late from work ,MN ish and heard the ewes carrying on so went to see and found the ewes had backed the lambs into the yard gateway and circled them ! There were several foxes in the field, presumably a family and she managed to scare them away but not until she was very close to them did they run !!

[Hellybee]

Ours come in by night, but we very very sadly lost a lamb to birds yesterday, Baz devastated, me too, the lamb was fine , newborn, Baz walked away ewe followed, he was checking eater, she must have been thirsty, they turned back around and lamb was attacked. Lamb pts in vets, poor little mite, so yesterday went through twins a and slinky singles and some other randome single tubs, split them, put the twins and slinkies in where the ram lambs were , sold them Wednesday, then brought the group that lost the lamb down at dusk last night, so everyone is now in front of the house.  No grass but endless haylage spotlights. I ll be darned if we gonna loose any to bloody fox, badger or bird.