Time to abandon haylage/silage??

[glasshouse]

So,it's the school holidays again
Unfortunately we farm well within cycling range of the housing estate where the TV series 'Skint' was filmed. Many of the kids there are what you could describe as feral. They get shoved out of the house first thing in the morning and are left to their own devices for the rest of the day. No manners, no respect and they all know 'what their rights' are.
Stacks of wrapped haylage/silage bales are like magnets to them. No amount of signs or fencing will keep them off.

We've had 4 visits in the last 2 days. Needless to say, eight or ten 12-15 year olds pulling themselves up onto a stack of silage bales and then running about on top of them does nothing to the quality of the grass inside the wrap.

We usually have to resort to calling in the local constabulary but that is easier said than done - it took them 24 minutes 49 seconds just to answer the phone tonight All I got was a log number and no visit. Presumably their older siblings were tying up Plod with more serious crime elsewhere.

I'm thinking, before we pack in wrapping bales all together, I could try covering the bales with something obnoxious to try and deter the little barstewards. Obviously I want to try and avoid cow/pig slurry. Anybody had experience of non-drying paint or other such material? The muckier or stinkier the better.

All suggestions greatly appreciated.
TIA.

Put it in a clamp

 

[yellowbelly]

@yellowbelly just wondered how you got on with this and if you managed to keep em off and how has it been this year. Got the same problem and has been awful....they used the electric fence stakes to stab the bales with and the Police are useless Wondering if grease or anti vandal paint did any good.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble @lim x . We've had the 'using the electric fence stakes as darts' thing too

The Police did catch a few and visited their homes and school which kept them away for a while. They soon got over that and it got worse. I covered all the bottom and second course bales with waste engine oil which meant at least they got blathered up when they climbed up on them, but it didn't stop them.

After an incident, one night, when the little sods tried to start a fire, I'd had enough. The next morning, I waltzed into the local secondary school (I knew which one as the Police knew where they went) and made it plain (in a rather loud voice), to the poor lass in the front office, that I wasn't a happy bunny and wanted to speak to the headmaster. Unfortunately, he wasn't there but his deputy came out. Again, I spoke rather loudly (so everyone could hear) and threatened to 'drag their school's name through all the muck I could rake up in the local press and TV'.
I was very quickly ushered into an office. The poor bloke didn't know what had hit him - I left him in no doubt that the school were in for some bad publicity with some very 'colourful agricultural language'.

The headmaster rang me later that day and promised to have the police in to an assembly and 'sort it out'.
I don't know what he said, or who said what to who, but (touch wood) we've not had any trouble since

The Police had already been to the school but it hadn't had the desired effect. It seems the threat of bad publicity was the thing that worked for us - I hope it can work for you. These kids just have no respect for anyone or anything and have no grasp of what the damage they do costs you in financial terms and time

Best wishes.

 

[lim x]

Pleased that you have had a result and I will try your tactic this week when the school reopens after half term. It's off lying ground, some twenty odd miles away so not easy to keep an eye on. OH went to fetch a load the other day and actually caught them on it! He gave chase across the field and over fence and into social housing Woman came to door with two black eyes and screamed 'not to bring this to her door'. By all accounts the police are round there all the time...not sure where you go with this as she certainly isn't going to pay or has the means to.
He got back to the stack and found a bag on there with details and address of another one...forwarded to police and we've heard nothing back, useless.

Not sure whether to claim on insurance for vandalism, have a crime number. Patched a lot of them and feeding the worst. Trouble is you don't know how many are actually no good until you use them and how our fodder supply for winter will now pan out...thought we had plenty until this.

Anyway, see how I get on this week, thanks for the info.

 

[spark plug]

Install a lamppost next to the stack with a splash plate on the top, pipe back to a convenient location, wait and enjoy covering the little scrotes with your finest slurry.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

My mother has a Burberiss (? Spelling) tree/bush thing in her garden.

It's absolutely bloody vicious if you get near it, thorns like needles and squillions of them. I've often thought that would make a good security fence.

I used to work at Wyevale garden centre and I am pretty sure the police used to recommend using Berberis as a deterrent to burglars, if I were to bed broken glass in the top of a wall, I would be breaking the law (duty of care), however planting spikey bushes is fine, as that is sort of an act of god!

 

[awkward]

I used to spread a load of thick slurry over the stack during the summer. Had beach parties and would have crowd on top if not done

 

[ED.D]

Don’t make such a good job of stacking them, that’ll thin a few out.

 

[glasshouse]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble @lim x . We've had the 'using the electric fence stakes as darts' thing too

The Police did catch a few and visited their homes and school which kept them away for a while. They soon got over that and it got worse. I covered all the bottom and second course bales with waste engine oil which meant at least they got blathered up when they climbed up on them, but it didn't stop them.

After an incident, one night, when the little sods tried to start a fire, I'd had enough. The next morning, I waltzed into the local secondary school (I knew which one as the Police knew where they went) and made it plain (in a rather loud voice), to the poor lass in the front office, that I wasn't a happy bunny and wanted to speak to the headmaster. Unfortunately, he wasn't there but his deputy came out. Again, I spoke rather loudly (so everyone could hear) and threatened to 'drag their school's name through all the muck I could rake up in the local press and TV'.
I was very quickly ushered into an office. The poor bloke didn't know what had hit him - I left him in no doubt that the school were in for some bad publicity with some very 'colourful agricultural language'.

The headmaster rang me later that day and promised to have the police in to an assembly and 'sort it out'.
I don't know what he said, or who said what to who, but (touch wood) we've not had any trouble since

The Police had already been to the school but it hadn't had the desired effect. It seems the threat of bad publicity was the thing that worked for us - I hope it can work for you. These kids just have no respect for anyone or anything and have no grasp of what the damage they do costs you in financial terms and time

Best wishes.

Whats wrong with a clamp?

 

[yellowbelly]

Whats wrong with a clamp?

They'd run up and down a clamp, rolling tyres off and puncturing the top sheet, causing just as much damage. These kids are feral - no respect for anything or anyone. They all 'know their rights' and squeal like stuck pigs if you get hold of one.
I caught one on one occasion and had hold of him by the scruff of his neck, When he realised that no amount of kicking, screaming and swearing was going to get him free he pulled out his phone, dialled 999 got through to the Police and claimed he was being sexually assaulted. Fortunately, a woman who lives near the bale stack, who had alerted me in the first place, witnessed the incident and nothing became of it.
They just want a feckin' good crack round the earhole but in these 'enlightened times' I'm afraid that is not an option. 20 years ago it was their parents causing us trouble and 40 years ago it was their grandparents . Each generation gets worse. It's a sign of the times, I'm afraid. One of the drawbacks of farming on the urban fringe.

 

[Exfarmer]

This is stupid. I have prosecuted and defended this type of scum loads of times and they simply do not care for anything but the pleasure of the moment. If you try and 'buy off' one, the rest will kick the sh*t out of him and then you'll have to do it again, and again, and again... this isn't Africa, don't get yourself into a stupid cycle that can't be exited. And it would spread too.

Violence won't work because you will either end up nicked or beaten up, or there will be another fire at your place, possibly residential. However, I am reminded of the maxim that a Sergeant Major I knew used to live by 'If violence doesn't work, you're not using enough'.

The police are, in my experience, not much help... the decent ones are overwhelmed because there are not enough of them, and the cr*p ones - a large majority - either couldn't care less or would be more interested in taking you to an 'encounter' group. PCSOs are another step down again...

If you really can't move, you have to mitigate the situation; but I am at a loss as to what you can do. You have my sympathy. I'll ask a friend who farms near Luton what he does.

Edited to note that @Old Boar's suggestion is very good, if you can get it thick enough and permanent enough, and fireproof enough....

There is a man on this forum occasionally who farmed near Luton, he solved it, by moving to Northumberland.

 

[Exfarmer]

Far cheaper than berberis is blackthorn. This was used in the middle ages as a detterent to armies

 

[Danllan]

There is a man on this forum occasionally who farmed near Luton, he solved it, by moving to Northumberland.

I know a few who have moved away from that area to 'sunnier uplands'.

 

[lim x]

Seem's a bit extreme to have to move away because the feral's move in and nobody can do anything about it. Understandable though.

 

[Dry Rot]

A very large cage trap baited with x-boxes, cider, cigarettes, and other stuff they go for. Visit once every 24 hours and make sure you provide shelter and water. Relocate anything caught to an off shore island.

Oh, that's no good. You'd probably have to go on a course and get registered.

 

[foxbox]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble @lim x . We've had the 'using the electric fence stakes as darts' thing too

The Police did catch a few and visited their homes and school which kept them away for a while. They soon got over that and it got worse. I covered all the bottom and second course bales with waste engine oil which meant at least they got blathered up when they climbed up on them, but it didn't stop them.

After an incident, one night, when the little sods tried to start a fire, I'd had enough. The next morning, I waltzed into the local secondary school (I knew which one as the Police knew where they went) and made it plain (in a rather loud voice), to the poor lass in the front office, that I wasn't a happy bunny and wanted to speak to the headmaster. Unfortunately, he wasn't there but his deputy came out. Again, I spoke rather loudly (so everyone could hear) and threatened to 'drag their school's name through all the muck I could rake up in the local press and TV'.
I was very quickly ushered into an office. The poor bloke didn't know what had hit him - I left him in no doubt that the school were in for some bad publicity with some very 'colourful agricultural language'.

The headmaster rang me later that day and promised to have the police in to an assembly and 'sort it out'.
I don't know what he said, or who said what to who, but (touch wood) we've not had any trouble since

The Police had already been to the school but it hadn't had the desired effect. It seems the threat of bad publicity was the thing that worked for us - I hope it can work for you. These kids just have no respect for anyone or anything and have no grasp of what the damage they do costs you in financial terms and time

Best wishes.

The intriguing thing is they must either have respect for something or fear of something for your rant to have worked, I wonder what the hell it is?! I guess kids with families may have something to lose if pushed hard enough but for a "troubled" kid in care not to be able to lead them on something must've put the anchors on pretty impressively.

Either that or your bat-sh!t mental farmer impression has really put the frighteners on them

 

[Exfarmer]

They have probably found Fortnite

 

[Deerefarmer]

Do you take poison oak, ivy?
I was thinking what a great addition that would make to the thorn fence

 

[yellowbelly]

Either that or your bat-sh!t mental farmer impression has really put the frighteners on them

.....can't think why

 

[Grassman]

We are moving into a lawless situation in this country.
We can't blame the police. There just are not enough of them and they have their hands tied with the crazy liberal human rights job. You only have to watch TV police camera programmes to see what we are up against. Hardly anyone gets prosecuted. And if they do its a limp slap on the wrist.
There was recently a march it a town about the lack of police response. People are getting fed up of it. Vigilantism will start if things don't get sorted.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Tie a breeze block round their necks and chuck them in the slurry pit