02GF74
Über Member
eh???? they're sheep, not turtles. of course if it was baby cattle in that field, there would be no problem as wee bulls wobble but they don't fall down.
and they need a bucket of water, how else are they gonna brush their teeth?
Any sheep experts on here?
- Thread starter Glow worm
- Start date
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eh???? they're sheep, not turtles. of course if it was baby cattle in that field, there would be no problem as wee bulls wobble but they don't fall down.
and they need a bucket of water, how else are they gonna brush their teeth?
OP
OP
Glow worm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Near Newmarket
Apparently it's not uncommon for sheep to do this, though in more hilly areas they tend to have more chance of rolling back over to get upright on the slope. No hills hereabouts though!
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
If a sheep gets stuck on its back, there's a very high chance that it will die. Grass takes a long time to digest and the process produces a lot of, well, gas. The stomach's design means that if the sheep is upside down, the gas can't escape and builds up inside, crushing the animals's lungs. Anyone who owns farm animals should be checking them at least once a day for this and many other reasons.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
It's because humans have interfered with the species, changing its body shape in order to bear larger lambs and have have more meat on their carcasses, not to mention thicker, heavier fleeces (the main cause of sheep getting cast). The original wild sheep would have lost their fleeces naturally, but our meddling means that they need to be manually shorn each year as there's just too much of it for the animal to cope with once the spring becomes summer.
"I have come across quite a few blackies that are stuck in fences (they stick their heads trough and can't get back out for their horns) once tried to free one and nearly broke all my fingers"
I once rescued 1 from a fence by easing its ears through, I did think while I was stood behind it holding its head I hope no ones watching !
I once rescued 1 from a fence by easing its ears through, I did think while I was stood behind it holding its head I hope no ones watching !
Broadside
Guru
- Location
- Fleet, Hants
[QUOTE 2362921, member: 9609"]I have never heard of sheep getting stuck on their backs! However they are renowned for finding novel ways of dying, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least.
[/quote]
They sure do, one of ours did it in the summer! You are quite right, sheep and lambs are always on the lookout for opportunities to die, as coffeejo says you have to check them daily for general health and in the summer to see they have got fly strike which can turn nasty very quickly.
I like the idea of putting some buttered toast on their backs, I might give that a go!
[/quote]
They sure do, one of ours did it in the summer! You are quite right, sheep and lambs are always on the lookout for opportunities to die, as coffeejo says you have to check them daily for general health and in the summer to see they have got fly strike which can turn nasty very quickly.
I like the idea of putting some buttered toast on their backs, I might give that a go!
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
And hence the name of a beer from the Black Sheep brewery:
http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/beers/riggwelter_bottled_beer/
"Riggwelter Ale takes its name from a local Yorkshire Dales farming term which has Old Norse roots; “rygg” meaning back, and “velte” meaning to overturn. A sheep is said to be rigged or “rigwelted”, when it has rolled onto its back and is unable to get back up without assistance.
It seemed the perfect name for a strong beer from the Black Sheep Brewery in Yorkshire."
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Wow I'm learning quite a bit from this thread .... on a cycling forum
, I always remembered going out with my uncle and cousins when we stayed with them, to check on the lambs/sheep and we would have to count them. I thought we were just checking that none had escaped. And I've helped with dipping them too - having seen the damage flies can cause.
, I always remembered going out with my uncle and cousins when we stayed with them, to check on the lambs/sheep and we would have to count them. I thought we were just checking that none had escaped. And I've helped with dipping them too - having seen the damage flies can cause.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Sheep are renowned for their ability to drop dead overnight. I think sometimes it's out of sheer stupidity.
I looked after a small flock over a weekend once, for a friend, while I house sat. Well, I took them food and checked the water and counted them. They all survived, although our first job on Monday when my friend got home was to load three into a trailer and take them to the next village to be turned into chops...
(Very tiny chops, they were Shetlands. You needed about 5 chops for a decent meal...)
I looked after a small flock over a weekend once, for a friend, while I house sat. Well, I took them food and checked the water and counted them. They all survived, although our first job on Monday when my friend got home was to load three into a trailer and take them to the next village to be turned into chops...
(Very tiny chops, they were Shetlands. You needed about 5 chops for a decent meal...)
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
FTFY
Most Yorkshire beers have that ability
