What’s killing these lambs?

[TheRock]

 

[TheRock]

Stripped completely, just skin and bones left. Ate mouth, ears and everything. Skinned cleanly.

 

[Ewe2]

I’d say a bird. We’ve had ravens doing similar here.

 

[andybk]

I’d say a bird. We’ve had ravens doing similar here.

have seen a flock of ravens totally get rid of a ewe except bones and wool within a week (over the hedge )

 

[Matthew Britton]

I have seen similar attributed to a big cat kill. Laugh at me if you like but had similar problems in Kent. Cat expert reckoned it was classic cat kill with skin rasped off. Quite a few sightings from where we were including a lynx spotted by my brother and a black leopard by my other half. Might be worth looking out a local expert.

 

[Dry Rot]

Well, it wasn't a bird that chewed that shoulder blade, unless it was an eagle (unlikely). Could have died of natural causes, then everyone and his mate has had a go at the free meal.

You really need to get one that hasn't been chewed, then look for tooth marks and punctures caused by canine teeth. Sometimes you'll find hair or smell fox or see plucked hair. But in that state, it would be impossible to tell what has joined in the meal

 

[Guleesh]

I've seen a couple of times years ago - right on the very top of a hill where no sheep lived or ever even ventured to graze at the time, a big flat piece of bare rock where a golden eagle used to take little blackie hill lambs to eat,( I assume eagle as used to see him up there and I don't see what else could take them up there or would want to) I wondered if he used to drop the lambs onto the rock to kill them? The remains of around 20 lambs looking almost exactly like yours. just legs and skins lying everywhere.

 

[delilah]

I have seen similar attributed to a big cat kill. Laugh at me if you like but had similar problems in Kent. Cat expert reckoned it was classic cat kill with skin rasped off. Quite a few sightings from where we were including a lynx spotted by my brother and a black leopard by my other half. Might be worth looking out a local expert.

John Aspinall rewilding. A man ahead of his time....

 

[Coximus]

Looks like red kite to me. Ive had them like that in a tree - Very very similar, everything that can be is pulled off. The bone chewing doesnt look cat like to me? I see lots of cat killed rabbits and the bone marks tend to be clean and liniear

 

[A1an]

Nigh on impossible to say what killed it but it’s easy to see that birds and ground vermin have had a go at that.

 

[Al R]

How long since you last saw it?
I had a 7-10 day old lamb stripped similar with ribcage smashed to pieces and the lamb was fine 3 hours before, otter we reckon, had 2 more 3 weeks later in the field next door, both of those were fit and healthy too and were seen hours before.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I doubt that a big cat would bother with a such a small lamb considering I had one ewe completely eaten over night.
As said before, I'd imagine many different animals have had a quick bite of that as they passed. I think I remember being told that it's usually a badger that removes heads.

 

[David.]

Good old Tommy Brock I'd say, turn hedgehogs inside out just the same.

 

[Green farmer]

I had one ewe completely eaten over night.

See it here over the years. If you dont find them fast enough, It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a few foxes or badgers will strip it to the bone. Doesnt help when a sick ewe will hide herself away in the corner or a ditch or somewhere you cannt see her. Also what makes me hate flystrike so much.

 

[Macsky]

That is exactly how the ravens will leave a lamb in my experience, and will do it in no time.

 

[michael N123]

Badger

 

[som farmer]

badger, they skin out like that, used to see hedgehogs, then h/hog skins, turned out like that, no more h/hogs, till now, year 2 of b cull, and have seen more h/hogs than the last 15/20 years combined.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

See it here over the years. If you dont find them fast enough, It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a few foxes or badgers will strip it to the bone. Doesnt help when a sick ewe will hide herself away in the corner or a ditch or somewhere you cannt see her. Also what makes me hate flystrike so much.

I'm like CSI: Devon. If you look at tracks, the way the surrounding area is trampled and the way the sheep has been eaten you can build up a good idea of what has been there.
It also depends on the time of year and the weather but it is usually easy to build up a timeline of events.
Eyes are removed almost immediately by birds. I always pray it was post-mortem.
Foxes eat the udder, ass and ears first. The bloody tags are always missing and I can't believe they eat them.
Seagulls are the buggers who rip through the abdomen and pull out all the entrails.
This is all usually within a few hours. If then left over night, anything passing might have a go but there will always be the majority of it left in the morning.
This is why I called in an expert when I found a skeleton of a ewe, attached to its skin by the skull which was happily grazing at dusk the day before.
There was not a speck of flesh left. The expert showed me the evidence that it was a big cat and told me the most likely type.

 

[som farmer]

I was shooting in devon, yrs ago, before 1 drive, out on its own, we were given heavy shot cartridges, all red dogs firmly secured, and in the beaters went, nothing came out, I felt quite relieved, there were lots of guns closely spaced, could have got a bit hairy, they were really upset, they were 100% sure, a 'cat' was in there,

 

[Matthew Britton]

I was shooting in devon, yrs ago, before 1 drive, out on its own, we were given heavy shot cartridges, all red dogs firmly secured, and in the beaters went, nothing came out, I felt quite relieved, there were lots of guns closely spaced, could have got a bit hairy, they were really upset, they were 100% sure, a 'cat' was in there,

Probably was. They are very elusive by all accounts, hence so few sightings. Having said that once you scratch the surface it is surprising how many sight8ngs there are.