Debbie Meier Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Here's a weird one, atleast weird to us. Wayne did chores this morning while I made breakfast, about 5 minutes after going out my cell phone rings, it's Wayne telling me that my bottle lamb that we have just weaned is missing. I had her in a individual pen near a heat lamp that is located inside our main holding pen where we keep ewes that are getting ready to lamb and a couple of ewes with new lambs. The was no way for to get out on her own. Wayne hunted the barn and found the dead lamb in front of one of our dog kennels, the runs on the other side of a full wall, for one of our dogs to get into the lambing area they would have had to escape from the run scaled a 5 foot fence made of either 1 x 2 welded panel or over a solid door that is five foot tall. Then the dog would have had to navagate angry ewes and then drag the lamb out of her individual pen, back out over the fence and the kennel themselves back up closing and latching the gate behind them while leaving the lamb outside. There is a spot outside of the pen in the alley where you could tell that the kill happened, no tracks except the lambs and possibly a birds foot, could a owl have flown in last night? All of the barn doors were closed except where the sheep can come in and out for the night in the lower barn, the doorway is 3 foot high and 5 foot long. A owl could fly over the 6 foot gate to the lower barn to gain access to the lambing area. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 A great horned owl, a hen, could have done this. That's why we call them, tigers of the air. I have an open air barn....kinda set up and I have had eagles and GHO in there. thats why I have a lgd I have flown GHO as a falconer/rehab they are very fierce. Sorry for your bottle lamb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks Tea, back to my original policy..."No Bottle Lambs", I just have the worst luck with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Sorry Debbie, that hurts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 It's part of having livestock, just never imagined that the lambs would be at risk in the barn. This past winter our farm was overrun with rabbits, I've been in the market for a couple of terriers to take over the patrol but we've noticed over the last week that the population went down dramatically, and just over two weeks ago our lame drake duck went missing, vanished into thin air. Thinking we may know why now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Sounds like a Great Horned Owl. Listen at night, they sound like an owl "whoo, whoo, whoo." This is the time of year when they start calling to their mates. We had one snatch about 10 chickens over the course of a few weeks, right off their roosts in the barn. Luckily, mostly young roosters. GHO's can carry more weight than an Eagle. A small lamb would be no trouble for them, considering they cart off skunks & coons. If your dogs were out in the kennels, they probably startled it & it dropped the lamb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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