Fox Control for Lambing and Sheep Farms
Free fox control around lambing across Yorkshire and the North. We check whether a fox is really behind the losses, then deal with the fox responsible, by rifle with thermal and night vision.
Not sure it's a fox? Text a photo to Chris on 07397 942663 and he'll get back to you the same day.
At lambing
When foxes are a risk to lambs
The first day or two
Newborn lambs are most vulnerable for roughly their first 24 to 48 hours, before they're steady on their feet and shadowing the ewe. Losses outside that window are far less likely to be fox predation and worth investigating for other causes first.
Predation or scavenging?
A fox will readily scavenge a lamb that died of something else, and the evidence can look identical to a kill. Bleeding at the wounds, worn hooves, and lungs that float point to a lamb that was alive. See did a fox kill that lamb, or scavenge it?
A pattern, not a sighting
Foxes are on most farmed land most of the time without causing losses. Several strong, older lambs lost in a short spell, and kills on the same part of the field, point to a fox with a routine. A single weak lamb after a cold night points the other way.
How it works
From checking the evidence to stopping the losses
1. Check what's really happening
Losses are looked at first: bite marks, the state of the carcass, timing, and where in the field. If it turns out to be scavenging, crows, or the lambing itself, you'll be told, along with what's more likely to help. See fox predation and lambing season.
2. Assess fox activity
That means likely den sites, the routes foxes use, and the times they're moving around your lambing fields, so control goes where it will actually make a difference.
3. Control the fox responsible
Control is concentrated on the weeks around lambing, by rifle, by a certificate-holding professional, using thermal and night vision to identify each fox. Depending on the ground, that means stalking, calling, or a bait station, with a safe backstop and full awareness of livestock, footpaths, and neighbouring land.
4. Follow up
Afterwards we check the losses have stopped. Lambing indoors or in a securely fenced field for the first couple of days, and checking ewes regularly through the vulnerable window, reduces risk without treating every fox sighting as an emergency. It's free: there's no callout fee and nothing to pay at the end.
Common questions
Questions sheep farmers ask
Yes. There's no charge to farmers or landowners, and no callout fee. See [how much fox control costs](/blog/how-much-does-fox-control-cost) for how that works.
Check whether the lamb was alive when it was bitten: bleeding and bruising around the wounds, worn hooves, and lungs that float all point to a fox kill, while clean, bloodless wounds, intact hoof caps, and lungs that sink point to scavenging. Our guide [sets out the checks in detail](/blog/fox-killed-lamb-or-scavenged-how-to-tell).
In the weeks around lambing, when newborn lambs are most exposed. If you're already losing lambs and the evidence points to a fox, get in touch straight away.
Yes. Carrion crows, rooks, jackdaws, and magpies can be controlled to prevent serious damage to livestock under Natural England's general licence, and that's dealt with alongside foxes. Crows will take the eyes and tongue of a weak lamb while it's still alive, so it's worth getting in touch if you're seeing that.
No, and that isn't the aim. Control focuses on the foxes actually causing losses, at the times it matters most, not every fox on the ground.
Yes. Foxes aren't a game species, so there's no close season, but the methods are regulated and welfare law always applies. See [when you can legally control foxes](/blog/when-can-you-legally-control-foxes-uk).
Coverage
Where we work
We cover farms, smallholdings, and estates across Yorkshire and the North. See fox control in North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire, East Lancashire, South Durham and Teesside. Our fox calendar shows what foxes are doing month by month, and our case studies show how real jobs went.
Related: fox control for poultry keepers, fox control for game shoots and our fox control service.
Losing lambs and not sure why?
Call or text Chris, a certificate-holding fox controller, with what you're finding and where. A photo of the carcass helps. It's free to talk it through.
Not sure it's a fox? Text a photo to Chris on 07397 942663 and he'll get back to you the same day.