[LadyEarth]

We found our neighbours new dog worrying a 6 day old lamb yesterday. Got the lamb but unable to save it. Neighbours are mortified. The dog is a pup which got out of the garden. They have promised to keep it under control and have offered compensation for the dead lamb.

What is a fair price to ask?

[Herdygirl]

Oh dear how awful for you and the lamb.  In answer to your question I would be asking for the payment in full of any vets bill.  You also need to consider that if the lamb was a female and you were going to breed from her the lost value of future offspring.  If the lamb was for the freezer then you have to value what it will cost you to buy the meat at a butcher.  Its not easy to put a price on it but your costs should certainly be covered.  I hope this helps a little :-)

[Big Light]

it's a balance between how neighbourly you want to be and you not loosing out  they initially seem to have taken a very responsible attitude but i would be more concerned what steps are they going to take to stop it occuring again  (dog proof fencing etc)- a child leaves a door open - another dead sheep- it is now officially a killer and thats pretty much impossible to remove from an animal?

- In terms of compensation definately the value of the lamb whether that be as a breeding ewe/tup or meat. Whether you take a lost future earnings i guess depends on how you values your relationship with your neighbour. If you choose the former then add a little extra for the stress and hassle and also time if you need to replace
sorry for your situation
good luck
BL

[shotblastuk]

This is always a sad affair for both parties involved.Unfortunately once a dog has done this it is very difficult to stop it doing it again. (they get a taste for it, so to speak) What breed of dog was it?

[Foobar]

£20 for the lamb and insist that they fix their fences and also take the pup to a proper dog trainer who can desensitise it to livestock.  Or ask for more money and hope it doesn't happen again.

[bazzais]

£20 is fair I think, to cover the cost of disposal and loss of the animal thats if it was being bred for the table + any vets fees.

Not saying that them being upset is a good thing - but in the sense that they have taken responsibility and show remorse  - them being upset is a good sign that they will go out their way to stop it happening again.

You could always ask them for a fish and chip take away or a bottle of wine, be friends and work together to stop it happening again.

Sorry to hears about it.

Barry

[SallyintNorth]

Speaking as a farmer, I don't think £20 is anywhere near enough.  We'd charge £25 for a young lamb as a set-on, but that'd be a lamb whose mother is still rearing a lamb, or two, and who is surplus to our requirements. 

If the ewe had a single, you've lost a year's production from her, with the possibility that she now gets mastitis, needing treatment, and then has to be sold as a cull. 

If she has twins, so is still rearing one, then you've lost the income from the second lamb.  Costs of rearing the second twin on its mother aren't high, so I'd be thinking around £50, at least, plus disposal costs.

[Sbom]

I second £50, at lest with that you could get a Cade to put on her. Plus advise they get the pup to proper training sessions and double check their fencing.

[farmershort]

jjeeez you lot are generous!

I'd be asking full boxed-lamb price... £120 way back in 2008 when I last sold a boxed lamb.

but having said that, with my zen hat on, I like the idea of £20 to cover disposal, plus take your dog to a proper de-sheep-worrying class.

[verdifish]

^^^^^^ agree 100%

[shygirl]

£20 wouldn't cover a fish supper for you.

charge them the final selling price. that way they will respect what is lost more. plus compensation.

[YorkshireLass]

Twenty quid is pocket money for most people, and I doubt it would cover vet bills, time, stress etc. Fifty quid plus a solid dog-training plan sounds more than fair to me. A bad neighbour or repeat offender deserves the full boxed lamb price.

[harmony]

Surely you have to ask for a fair price to cover value and loss at this stage and SallyintNorth seems to have to be reasonable in her analysis. [size=78%]Charging what you might have got for something is a bit pie in the sky. You would have to deduct your possible costs for getting it to that to be fair anyway. Who knows what you might get down the line?[/size]


I would also need to know they can keep their puppy in. Falling out with neighbours is not a good thing and maybe you have a good idea of their skills as a dog owner but I would make it quite clear if it happened again you would insist the dog was destroyed. They have to take responsibility for the situation.

[DavidandCollette]

I am with the £120 folks. TbT is what you were raising it for, and they also need to realise the costIimplications. As for dog training that is a separate issue for them to consider

[harmony]

£120 for a six week old lamb - come on!


How can you charge that? If it was ready for slaughter tomorrow then fair enough!


If it is a pedigree breed and a tup you could say I might have sold it for £X amount at the breeds sales but you might not as well!