Lost a Chick to a Sheep

[bragabit]

I don't know if you saw my other thread, about my complaints about my sheep.....but tonight it went too far and the sheep killed a baby chick while it was feeding with its mom. I am so mad, I whipped the sheep once and she looked at me like "so what". We just loaded the Ewe and the lamb into a horse trailer and parked at the in-laws. I can't stand sheep, I can't believe that livestock can be so uncaring. The last two nights the baby sheep has charged and trampled the adults several times. I even have video of the sheep chasing the chickens over and over in circle.

So beware not all livestock mixes...

Poor baby chick....yes I cried.

 

[Homesteading_Bound]

I've seen your video. I thought it was cute...I guess not.

Did the baby just continue to get more and more aggressive?

Is this normal behavior for sheep?

I'm sorry you lost a chick. Do they both stay in that pasture?


Edited for grammar

 

[Chick_a_dee]

I think..really..you're being a bit harsh with the sheep. Sheep, like any animal, don't give a hoot about your chickens well being. It is survival of the fittest in a mixed flock situation. For example, at a local private zoo a goat kid trampled a duckling, well... the duckling lived with a messed up foot, but realy the goat didn't intentionally set out to hurt the duckling. It's just a goat..just like they're JUST sheep.

I understand your frustration, but really.. they're just sheep.

 

[bragabit]

Quote:
No my sheep intentionally stalked and chased my chickens. This was the act of an agressive animal. I can see an acidental trample as one thing, but this was just flat out meaness. If you click on my photoshop image below it will play my movie I took. This is what the sheep would do to the chickens.

 

[bragabit]

Quote:

 

[rancher hicks]

I never have time to read all the posts but didn't it ever occur to you to keep them seperate? That would have been my first thought. To whip the sheep is just not right. Good garden o' peas!

 

[chickencoop31320]

Sorry to hear about your chick. I would have been upset too.

As Chick_a_dee explained, they are just animals. They do not understand that they are bigger and can hurt the chickens.

I haven't seen the video of the sheep chasing the chickens, but I doubt that the sheep was just doing it to be evil or whatever.

As for sheep being "uncaring"... They are just ANIMALS. Sheep aren't equipped with emotions the same way we are.

I hope you get the sheep/chicken conflict resolved.

 

[davidkjh]

Looks to me like it was just playing. It wouldn't chase if they didn't run. Kinda like a kid with a new toy. That is nature not malice.

 

[chickencoop31320]

Okay, I just watched the video...
IMO the lamb looks like he is bored and just wanting to play more than anything else.
My thought would be to separate the chickens from the sheep. If that is not feasible, try hobbling the sheep until it gets used to being around the chickens.

 

[Opa]

Sheep and goats kill chickens, mules and donkeys kill sheep and goats. None are being deliberately mean they are just being what they are. Each is only protecting their territory. Don't try and attach human emotions and morals to them. You will just be setting yourself up for more heart break. Some animals can't mix. You've just experienced a painful learning experience. There will never truly be a place where the lion lies down with the lamb.