Any sheep experts on here?

[Glow worm]

About three weeks or so ago these fellows arrived in the field behind our house and it makes quite a nice change from the usual wheat/ barley and sugar beet combo more common hereabouts. The only thing I wondered about was water. The guy who pops over evey now and then to see the sheep has placed a small bucket in the field, I presume containing minerals and food supplements, but there is no water trough or any water available for them at all. I wondered if this is common ? Perhaps they get all the moisture they need from the grass. The sheep seem to be managing fine, though I did have to tip one back upright one morning after it rolled on it's back overnight and couldn't right itself. The neighbours thought I'd pulled!

 

[Fnaar]

Hmm, seems they DO need it: http://bit.ly/16x4YHG
Maybe there's a tap for them to use* in the corner of the field?

(*ewes)

 

[Glow worm]

Hmm, seems they DO need it: http://bit.ly/16x4YHG
Maybe there's a tap for them to use* in the corner of the field?

(*ewes)

Good site that- thanks.- Google had failed me completely! There is no tap that I know of, and they don't tend to congregate in any particular area as you'd expect with a water source. Last year, the guy did put a water trough there for them but not this. Looks like they get some water from the grass though so that's something although the grass is very rough pasture. Praps I'll pop out at dusk with a big bucket of water for them !

 

[Broadside]

We keep lambs and have a similar number to that in your picture. Access to clean drinking water is important, it is true that they get a lot of water intake from the grass and we never notice a huge amount being drunk from the water bucket but they do need access to it.

Causing stress to a sheep by changing food source or not giving it access to what it needs can lead to it getting poorly. With that said at this time of year it is not going to kill them but if it was summer that would be a different matter.

 

[Glow worm]

We keep lambs and have a similar number to that in your picture. Access to clean drinking water is important, it is true that they get a lot of water intake from the grass and we never notice a huge amount being drunk from the water bucket but they do need access to it.

Causing stress to a sheep by changing food source or not giving it access to what it needs can lead to it getting poorly. With that said at this time of year it is not going to kill them but if it was summer that would be a different matter.

That's useful to know- thanks. Last March was much warmer so perhaps the owner reckons they'll be OK as it's so cold. I don't know if you can tell which breed(s) they are from the pic? the closest I could see is possibly Lleyns but the wool texture is very varied so they are probably a mixed flock.

 

[Globalti]

Is that a bird cage on the hedge?

 

[tyred]

Are you sure there are no open drains, streams or springs or some other water source around the hedges?

It's where livestock drink around here but then this is an area with heavy clay soil and a lot of rainfall so all fields have drains.

 

[Glow worm]

Is that a bird cage on the hedge?

Sort of - there's a small pot of grain in there that the smaller birds can get to - the cage keeps the f%£*$%g pigeons out!

 

[Glow worm]

Are you sure there are no open drains, streams or springs or some other water source around the hedges?

It's where livestock drink around here but then this is an area with heavy clay soil and a lot of rainfall so all fields have drains.

I'm pretty sure there's nothing - the nearest stream is where the trees on the far side in the pic so some distance away.

 

[Fnaar]

Hang on, if you look a little more closely at the pic, you can see a stream snaking across the middle of the field... (sorry, it's Friday afternoon)

 

[Fnaar]

 

[Glow worm]

Hang on, if you look a little more closely at the pic, you can see a stream snaking across the middle of the field... (sorry, it's Friday afternoon)

View attachment 20476

Damn it there goes my house insurance flood risk premium going through the roof! At least the sheep are happy!

 

[Broadside]

That's useful to know- thanks. Last March was much warmer so perhaps the owner reckons they'll be OK as it's so cold. I don't know if you can tell which breed(s) they are from the pic? the closest I could see is possibly Lleyns but the wool texture is very varied so they are probably a mixed flock.

I don't know what breed they are as I am certainly no expert on breeds but they look pretty similar to ours but with a heavier fleece. Ours are a good old Heinz mix up of Mule x Texel x Suffolk.

 

[classic33]

Looks as though one has maggots

 

[biggs682]

mint sauce