Neighbours have moved 2 sheep into back garden!!

diystarter7

longleggedhair said:

I’d not thought of the foxes but yes we have a thriving group of local foxes. I don’t wish any ill for the poor sheep-it’s not their fault but nature may deal with the problem for me  

Good response, thanks.
I recall recent reports about foxes attacking a human.

We've had a family live at the bottom of our graden looked so cute last year the mum/dad playing with their children. They've gone but the poo smell is awful

We have another fox looks worse for wear and won't run away even when you shoo it, it looks desperate and I guess they will give the sheep a go but a hind leg in the foxes mouth may mean the fox never comes near them again, lol.

Section62

_Sam_ said:

is the law you refer to prohibits this now, cannot a family slaughter an animal in preparation for a gathering such as wedding or other celebration? Or is it more to prohibit people slaughtering for commercial purposes.

The purpose of the law is primarily to contain any health risk from unfit meat to the smallest possible number of people, whilst still allowing people to slaughter and eat their own animals in a limited way.

The law applies two tests - (1) the meat can only be consumed by members of the 'immediate family' and (2) the people have to be living at the same place.  Together these act as highly restrictive conditions.

You cannot give or sell the meat to family members who don't live with you, and you can't feed guests/lodgers etc the meat even if they 'live' with you.

In the wedding scenario the immediate family who live at the address could eat the home-slaughtered meat, but not guests.  Also, the meat cannot be taken from the address to another place for 'processing', so if you have a hired venue the meat can't be taken there to be cooked (AFAIK).  If you slaughtered an animal for a wedding event taking place at your home you may have difficulty proving to a magistrate that you didn't allow guests at the event to eat the meat, so that probably wouldn't be a wise idea either.

The law includes regulations to control the diseases like BSE (cattle) which include Scrapie (found in sheep) so there are good reasons for this level of control, it isn't just a 'nanny state' type thing.

Bluebell1000

RobM99 said:

Keeping sheep might be baahed by a covenant!

Ah no, I was thinking the same but you bleat me to it 😅

jak

Our neighbours daughter brought home a horse once. In a tiny garden. It was quite a surprise for my Mum when she went to hang the washing out... Go and speak to them. Hopefully they found them wondering about and put them there for safety.

Section62

elsien said:

Seems sensible to me to have a polite conversation with neighbour to find out what’s going on before deciding on the next course of action. 

Hiding behind others trying to manipulate them to report instead wouldn’t be my style, but each to their own.

Quite.

The obvious flaw in that nonsense suggestion is that if you agitate around the neighbours it won't take long before one of them tells the sheep keepers what you are doing, totally defeating the clandestine mission.

elsien

diystarter7 said:

longleggedhair said:

I’d not thought of the foxes but yes we have a thriving group of local foxes. I don’t wish any ill for the poor sheep-it’s not their fault but nature may deal with the problem for me  

Good response, thanks.
I recall recent reports about foxes attacking a human.

We've had a family live at the bottom of our graden looked so cute last year the mum/dad playing with their children. They've gone but the poo smell is awful

We have another fox looks worse for wear and won't run away even when you shoo it, it looks desperate and I guess they will give the sheep a go but a hind leg in the foxes mouth may mean the fox never comes near them again, lol.

And just for context. 

https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/questions/answer/do-foxes-attack-people-cats-or-dogs

Section62

diystarter7 said:

when desperate yes they even attack humans so sheep is easy prey

Is there the tiniest shred of evidence to support that claim?

Foxes may take lambs, and there are reports of babies being 'attacked', but an adult sheep is neither a lamb nor a baby.

theartfullodger

Get a wolf 

sevenhills

elsien said:

Talk to them.

I understand sheep speak Welsh, so that might be difficult.

Section62

theartfullodger said:

Get a wolf 

Maybe that's what the two animals next door really are?