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Bluest

Member Since: 23 Apr 2016
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 4248

2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Java Black

Anyone involved in sheep farming? Animal welfare concern.

Being a towny at heart, I might be being a bit soft here, but thought I'd ask.

My office window overlooks grazing land used for sheep farming and I spend too much time watching the woolly inhabitants when I should be working. What I've noticed, and what concerns me, is that quite a lot of the sheep are hobbling or limping. I've noticed this over a long period of time. At the minute there are two that are only using three legs and a few more that are limping to a lesser extent. The farmer doesn't own the land but is there is his Land Rover at least every couple of days, and quite often swaps them to different fields so he should know what's what.

I know sheep are expert in trying to kill themselves, but is it normal to always have limping ones in a flock? 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS

19th Jan 2017 1:34pm

Rickydodah

Member Since: 14 Jul 2014
Location: East Sussex
Posts: 1091

There's lots of possible causes of lameness, scald, footrot etc. Bacterial infection and injurys. On the south downs which is mainly chalk and flint there is a fair bit of lameness.

I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

19th Jan 2017 1:37pm

Bluest

Member Since: 23 Apr 2016
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 4248

Not uncommon then. Bearing in mind the farmer is there regularly, should I just assume all is it should be? 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS

19th Jan 2017 1:52pm

AMBxx

Member Since: 24 Jul 2016
Location: York
Posts: 1044

2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Orkney Grey

Sheep next to us are always hobbling around too. Apparently, the only thing sheep are good at is dying. Evololution gave them a raw deal.

19th Jan 2017 1:59pm

smb

Member Since: 15 Jan 2013
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 1232

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Santorini Black

No, its because of b

y Industrial Scale Farming.

It could be for many reasons, but more than likely if they are permanently in a field their feet will have overgrown(similar to nails on toes) and not been clipped. A lot of farmers don't bother doing it because as you can imagine it either costs money to get someone in to do it or takes up a lot of their time.

I wouldn't say it is typical of a farmer, but it is typical of certain types of farmers. As an example, I rented out 20acres to a sheep farmer from North Wales a couple of years ago as I needed the grass to be kept in trim. One day Im driving past the field and theres a sheep down. I phone the farmer and all he said was "It'll cost me more in diesel than the sheep is worth, Leave it". For

Sake I thought and couldn't let it suffer so went down only this time as I opened the gates I could see it in the middle of the field being stalked by two magpies. By the time I got to it the magpies had done their job and in the end I had to shoot it.

I made sure the farmer picked them all up by the weekend and to this day he still owes me unpaid rent.

Sorry, forgot....I inspected all his sheep and out of 60, 26 were near to having footrot.

19th Jan 2017 2:10pm

JOW240725

Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7908

2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Orkney Grey

Bluest, its not uncommon, as above have said they can hobble for all sorts of reasons, but it should be looked at and dealt with at relatively promptly. Might just be a stone in the hoof, but if it is foot rot or split hoof etc it needs treatment. I'd have a polite conversation with the farmer if you can manage to catch him.

This cold weather when the ground is frozen hard will cause more hobbling.

My job for Saturday is sorting out a limping ewe!!

James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html
MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641
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19th Jan 2017 2:21pm

Bluest

Member Since: 23 Apr 2016
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 4248

The farmer is actually there now as I type topping up the feed. There's no point in having a word, I rescued one of his lambs years ago when it got into our garden, he couldn't muster any more than a grunt and a scowl! 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS

19th Jan 2017 2:27pm

JOW240725

Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7908

That's a shame, I wouldn't normally promote a call to the RSPCA without at least trying with the oner first but.... James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html
MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641
MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557
Instagram @suffolk_rovers

19th Jan 2017 2:32pm

Rashers

Member Since: 21 Jun 2015
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3572

2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey

Have you ever noticed that there are no ugly sheep?

They are all good looking, quite pretty in fact.........

Oh

Maybe I just need to get out more?

(never found a reason to use that emoticons before)

19th Jan 2017 2:36pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20638

Aren't most of them expecting lambs at the moment too. TheThunder Rolls🇬🇧🇺🇸
⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪

19th Jan 2017 5:25pm

Bluest

Member Since: 23 Apr 2016
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 4248

I know they are doing a lot of fighting at the moment. It's very entertaining. 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS

19th Jan 2017 5:28pm

boode

Member Since: 11 Apr 2012
Location: Devon
Posts: 434

If they are heavily pregnant, then by moving them and catching them could cause a lot of abortions.
When they lamb they should get individual attention and their feet sorted

The RSPCA can sometimes cause more distress and damage by intervening despite their best intentions

19th Jan 2017 5:38pm

JOW240725

Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7908

Absolutely RSPCA is absolute last resort

19th Jan 2017 6:03pm

JWL

Member Since: 26 Oct 2011
Location: Hereford
Posts: 3443

There is such a gulf with peoples perceptions on agriculture today, there is a big difference in what most of the public seem as cruel and what farmers think of as normal. Yes, there is no need for lame livestock, it's not really in the farmers best interests to have unfit animals, like it or not the livestock has to make a profit or else it's a waste of time having them. When I used to shepherd sheep and especially at this time of year I would have seperated (hopefully before now) any ewes that were prone to lameness and kept them as a seperate bunch to the others. Many cases of lameness can be hereditary and as such they get put on the "To cull" list along with all the others that cause extra work and expense.
Yes I would be treating the "lame" flock for their problems but they wouldn't cure overnight and to look over the fence at so many lame sheep it is an embarrasment. You have to assess whether the lameness is re-occouring foot rot or another cause and whether it's just a one off or easily preventable by a change in management or they're just there to take the pee. Treatment at this time of year is difficult especially if the sheep are in lamb, the common treatment at this time of year would be to walk the sheep through footbaths with formalin or an antiseptic type of solution but with the wet weather it's pointless as it won't "stick" to the feet and get time to work as it instantly gets diluted or washed off!
Another factor could be that we're in a pretty damp winter, the horn of the hoof get's pretty soft and grows, curling over the pads of the clees trapping dirt and starts to cause infections, they can end up with like a trench foot. Some breeds cope better with these conditions better than others. Most commercial ewes are now mongrels, over the years farmers have tried to breed sheep in a way as to get the best of all the different traits of the breeds but some of the traits are carried through and others are not, it is all a compromise. We need lambs that provide the best meat for the table but we also need them to survive in good health.
As has been said above there are also the farmers that do leave a lot to be desired in their methods of caring for their livestock, they're the ones that need help, help to acknowledge the fact that they shouldn't be livestock farmers and find something else to do but that's the same with any occupation but it is made worse here because there are lives to be taken into account.

19th Jan 2017 8:31pm

Sphere

Member Since: 26 Apr 2013
Location: Midlands
Posts: 725

2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Keswick Green

Could be a hospital field especially if he is keeping a close watch and he is removing the lame into one area for ease

19th Jan 2017 8:35pm

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