I feel so stupid asking this

[Guest pax]

It's coming up on Independence Day fireworks and we are on night-time turn out with the horses, they go outside at dusk. I was making up the turn out boards for the week and realized I needed to keep them in that night, because we have a few nutjobs and we can see the fireworks from the back garden. In fact, the best seat in the house is the hay loft, but anyway....

 

1. Will my sheep panic over stuff like fireworks? I had a moron in a glider try to kill me once coming down in the field I was riding in. Are things coming down out of the sky an issue for sheep? I'm assuming noise is not an issue, because I haven't seen any anxiety-ridden sheep after the thunderstorms we've had.

 

2. If for some reason my sheep were in a blind panic, what's the worst case scenario? How far will they go and how fast? Do sheep in a blind panic go uphill, or down? Run for cover or the biggest open spot they can find? Run for a known shelter? What? I have a stream with a very, very steep 10 foot bank, and although it is fenced,..would they lemming themselves?

 

 

I'm sorry. All of a sudden I realized I had no idea what the outside capacity was, you know? It makes risk management so much easier.

[Sue R]

I don't have sheep or understand diddly about them but fireworks don't seem to bother any of my stock (cattle, horses, goats in the past). Can you shut the sheep up that evening for the night?

 

Best wishes! We are fortunate to have minimal impact on holidays up here.

[KathyF]

I have had my sheep in the past get scared witless from fireworks. I remember watching them running back and forth across a field as they had no idea where to go to get away from some fireworks. Since that first year I don't think that they have been as bad. If you can keep them somewhere that they will be safe it would probably be best.

 

Kathy

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Mine were never bothered by the dopes next door who shot off rockets of all kinds, bomb type noisemakers, and hand held versions of cannons that I'm told are called black powder rifles.

 

In my experience, sheep in the worst possible blind panic lie down on the ground. But then, I have weird sheep I think sometimes. Sheep with dogs behind them WILL charge fences and gates, but that's something you only have happen a few times and then you sit down and figure out how not to do it again (don't work young dogs in large areas on timid sheep, ship the sheep that tend to aim for the fences). Or at least I do.

 

Sheep aren't like horses. They don't stand around trying to figure out the stupidest possible excuse to fling themselves fenceward. And they don't have the self-destructive creativity that horses do, either.

 

You should have some opportunity to see how they react to the odd popper that goes off the next few days. IF they seem nervous, put them in a secure fenced area, but not a really small space like a pen (they'll really freak out if they think they are trapped).

 

Sheep that are really nervous, like in an extremely high wind they can't get out of, will mill around mostly trying to find the best place to watch out for danger. What they dislike most is being unable to see or hear something coming, so really loud noise migth bother them if it's loud enough to interfere with their hearing normal noises.

[Little Bo Boop]

We're on about 7 acres, but in a subdivision, and our neighborhood is chock full of pyro's every holiday is open season on fireworks it seems, and especially with all the rain and no fear of setting the entire county on fire...but I have to say that the fireworks have never bothered my sheep at all, my horses have even gotten used to them and barely look up from their grazing. Now it could be too that the sheep take their cues from the horses, as they pretty much follow them around everywhere. It is too funny at night when I bring the horses up to feed, the sheep will gallop along right with them up to the barn, yesterday when the storm hit, there were the sheep right along with the rest of the gang looking for cover

[Guest pax]

Well, thank you all, especially your behaviour tips, Rebecca. That's just the sort of thing I was wondering.

 

Sheep aren't like horses. They don't stand around trying to figure out the stupidest possible excuse to fling themselves fenceward. And they don't have the self-destructive creativity that horses do, either.

 

That is EXACTLY my frame of reference. You nailed me.

 

I just finished a permanent, very solid little pen. Well, I converted it. Well, ok, really all I did was clean it out and pound some t posts but I did it ALL BY MYSELF so I am very proud and well show y'all in a little while. I have to go get them and put them in it so the picture will at least be interesting.

 

I'm just going to put them up that evening. If I get really inspired I'll trot a radio out there and they can listen to NPR for an hour at fireworks time.