Lambs getting separated & dying

[stats]

I'm not a farmer but live in a rural area with my property bordered on 3 sides by 2 very large connected sheep fields.
I'm just looking for some advice/reassurance about the animals that I see (and hear!) on a daily basis.There is a footpath through one of the fields and down the side of my property. I really try not to interfere unless there are dead lambs/sheep on the footpath.

I see quite a few (again - I don't know if this is normal or not) lambs that are clearly weak, have lost the ewe, and are constantly bleating, running up the back of any ewe they can get near to try and feed, and repeatedly being pushed away. They bleat well into the night, and to be honest it is hard to hear, as it is obviously separated lambs and can't find the ewes. The lambs aren't born in this field but moved in with the ewe.

This year alone I have already found 4 dead lambs in the field. I found another two this morning - I had noticed these lambs were not well two days ago, and now they are dead. Right now I could point out another 4 lambs which are clearly failing to thrive and not with a ewe. The sheep are not regularly checked on - I work from home and estimate that the farmer comes to the field around once a week.

Last year I called the farm about twins which were clearly failing to thrive as they were huddled under the stile with no ewe in sight, black with dirt, unable to open their eyes, and didn't move when I approached them. They seemed very abrupt with me so I have resisted contacting them again. On two occasions this year I have noticed twins which appear unwell, are huddled together or barely moving, aren't near a ewe, and look dirty. Again, I don't wish to interfere, so I just left it. Unfortunately when I walked through the field the following day (I use it as a short cut to walk up to my parent's house) the lambs were dead, both times. This is really starting to affect me as I feel that I let those animals die by not doing anything. This happened about 4 times last year too. I can't be out patrolling the fields - I presume that as the farmer isn't he is content to just leave the lambs to die but I am finding it hard to bear as I see the animals every day (the farmhouse is about 3/4 of a mile away).

Again, I'm not a farmer and have no experience of sheep farming (I have worked with pigs & dairy before) - but shouldn't they be checked more frequently? Is it normal to just leave the lambs to starve and die if they lose the ewe - I feel this is unnecessarily cruel - at least cull them humanely. I live next to the field so I notice all the poorly lambs - shouldn't the farmer be doing this? Or is it normal sheep farming practice to just let nature take its course?

 

[GTB]

As with all professions there are good and bad farmers. Sound like your neighbour isn't one of the best shepherds and not brilliant at PR either? They should be checking at least once a day at this time of year really but in their defence there may be some extenuating circumstances such as being snowed under with other work or ill health perhaps.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

No it's not normal practice to allow this to happen. He should be checking them daily, particularly with young lambs at foot.
Ewes will normally find their lambs but it is possible they're getting separated if it's a very large area as you describe.
How long have they been there?

 

[GTB]

Are they getting separated because they are disturbed by people using the footpath /walking their dogs?

Is there any grass and do they get any feed? Some ewes will purposely abandon one lamb if they're short of milk. It's natures way of ensuring one lamb survives.

 

[stats]

No it's not normal practice to allow this to happen. He should be checking them daily, particularly with young lambs at foot.
Ewes will normally find their lambs but it is possible they're getting separated if it's a very large area as you describe.
How long have they been there?

The sheep were moved into these fields around 2 weeks ago. The lambs are quite young but not new born. I think because we've had very cold weather (North Wales), any separated lambs are freezing to death which is just horrible.

 

[stats]

Are they getting separated because they are disturbed by people using the footpath /walking their dogs?

Is there any grass and do they get any feed? Some ewes will purposely abandon one lamb if they're short of milk. It's natures way of ensuring one lamb survives.

Unlikely as apart from me hardly anyone else uses the footpath - I probably use it twice a week and maybe our neighbour once a week. But that's it. We are fairly rural and there are only around 10 houses nearby. No one walks their dogs in these fields. There is grass. I don't know if they get feed.

I feel like if you have stewardship of the animals then don't leave them to starve - if the lambs are abandoned and can't be fed then can't they be picked up and culled?

 

[Longlowdog]

Phone the Wildlife Officer of your local police force (he will have rural/farm experience), explain the situation. He may be able to light a fire under the owners backside. This is year on year neglect.
Caveat....ensure your walks are not a contributory factor in the mis-mothering.
It is not normal. I know many farmers who work amazing hours, forgoing, food, sleep and family life to check and help vulnerable lambs. If you own sheep this is what is required of you morally and legally.
Lambs are not routinely culled, that is why we have bottles, milk buckets and automated milk machines.
It is against the law to leave carcasses in a field without lifting them for legal disposal.
All that is required for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

 

[GTB]

From what you say it sounds like poor management but it would be wrong to say too much without hearing both sides of the story.

 

[GreenerGrass]

Don’t often advocate it as stories are often not as black and white as they are painted, but if all that you say is true, and has been going on for so long then I would report this. It’s a welfare issue.

 

[betweenthelines]

Lets not jump to the conclusion that there's a "bad" farmer here.

OP says he knows the farmer doesn't check his stock every day but also that he doesn't know if the farmer feeds them?

He's spoke to the farmer last year and got an "abrupt" response-does this mean the farmer thought OP was airing unnecessary concerns?

Also, what does he mean by "dirty" lambs? If they're scouring then it's unlikely they've been abandoned. Also we are talking about (perhaps) 4 dead lambs in how big a flock?

OP also seems to have a remarkable ability to spot ailing lambs and identify them as dead lambs days afterwards?

 

[goodevans]

to be fair to the opening post he does seem to know his stuff by noticing lambs trying to rob milk from other ewes and doesn't seem to have overly interfered but shows genuine concern

 

[Old Shep]

hi I do know about the dilemma of seeing ill stock but knowing that reporting it will meet with either disapproval or no action - its soul destroying.

But from a farming point of view its rare that a ewe doesn't know where her lambs are. Are the sheep themselves in good condition or looking really hungry? What length is the grass?

 

[RushesToo]

@stats What you want is that the lambs have good welfare - and you are right to do so. To keep them well they need to be tended to swiftly. I really would try and contact the farmer rather than authorities as s/he will be able to attend more quickly and resolve it than authorities. Try and keep the conversation as friendly and you are their eyes on the ground and they should be glad you are helpful. Something that sounds like an accusation to someone who is almost certainly sleep deprived can not go well.

Things that will make poor lambs are something separating ewes and lambs so they can't find each other [dogs, drones and such like] little food - there should be grass hay or concentrated food, sick ewes with no milk and just poor mothering, young ewes don't understand - older ones get it.

There will always be losses, they shouldn't be unnecessary. Decide what needs to be done to keep this right.

If you get nothing then go to the authorities.

 

[Bones]

I bet the Fox's are happy in that area,

 

[Paul E]

If it was just this year then we might (might) be able to cut the farmer a bit of slack, but if he's not checking them daily then alarm bells should be ringing anyway.
And as it happened last year aswell........
Next year........?

 

[stats]

Lets not jump to the conclusion that there's a "bad" farmer here.

OP says he knows the farmer doesn't check his stock every day but also that he doesn't know if the farmer feeds them?

He's spoke to the farmer last year and got an "abrupt" response-does this mean the farmer thought OP was airing unnecessary concerns?

Also, what does he mean by "dirty" lambs? If they're scouring then it's unlikely they've been abandoned. Also we are talking about (perhaps) 4 dead lambs in how big a flock?

OP also seems to have a remarkable ability to spot ailing lambs and identify them as dead lambs days afterwards?

When the farmer does come to the fields it's on an ATV, which I can hear. I don't then watch what the ATV does for the entirety of the time that it is in the field so yes - I know approximately when and for how long someone is visiting the field, but no, I don't know exactly what they are doing. There is also the possibility that someone is visiting on foot but I think that unlikely as why would I be spotting the dead stock and they wouldn't?

I got an abrupt response because I had previously contacted the farm about a dead ewe which was right by the fence above my drive. This was last July. I contacted them again in September. The dead ewe is still there, slowly decaying.

I've described the lambs as 'dirty' because they look like they are caked in mud/excrement. They are often lying just on the boundary so it is easy to see.

I'd estimate there to be around 40 ewes in the fields currently, most with twins. I know some stock will die - my issue is that these deaths could be prevented by either reuniting or bringing the lambs in.

I can tell which lambs have died because they have numbers sprayed on them. I presume due to the orientation of the hedge & the direction of the prevailing wind, that the hedge bordering my property is where the animals like to shelter so they are very close and not hard to see.

 

[stats]

hi I do know about the dilemma of seeing ill stock but knowing that reporting it will meet with either disapproval or no action - its soul destroying.

But from a farming point of view its rare that a ewe doesn't know where her lambs are. Are the sheep themselves in good condition or looking really hungry? What length is the grass?

The sheep look a bit ratty, but I think that is because there is a quagmire as the connecting section between the two fields. A few of the ewes are lame. The grass seems ok - there is good coverage and the connecting section is the only area with visible soil. Considering the size of the fields I'd say it is sparsely stocked currently - there are much more sheep in during the summer.

 

[goodevans]

thinking about this you may actually be better to try and talk to another farmer who you know is friendly with the owner of the sheep as it may then be better coming from a fellow farmer than a so called interfering busy body which by the way I don't think you are reading your interpretation so far

 

[gatepost]

A no win situation, you will be accused of interfering and the farmer won't take any notice of anyone, if he isn't taking any notice of what's in front of his eyes, but we all have disasters, I had a friend that got diagnosed will a terminal illness, sadly he kept it all to himself, but when animal health finally got involved, heck!

 

[andybk]

I would like to think i had someone keeping an eye on my sheep when im not there , plenty of times i have had wasted a journey but would sooner have that than a dead animal , yes i moan at the time , but on a few occasions they have saved me from greater problems regard dogs and ewes on their backs . often it means i can miss a check when lambs are older if busy elsewhere .
@stats your right to have concerns , sheep should be checked once a day with very young at foot , as above , contact owner but dont be confrontational then take further if nothing happens , all the best