need some suggestions for catching a feed thief or thieves

I would leave a note in the feed bin that said "Smile, you are on CCTV :D"

See if that stops it!

omg so funny ha ha, the baby monitor isnt a bad idea either, they are taking lots of it at once so they arnt even being discrete about it. its really bugged me! My partner has just told me he could fix my video camera to the wall where my rugs are hung so its hidden and he said to put an old fly rig over the front of it and just cut a little hole for the lense... where my stuff is there shouldnt be anyone going in there other than sophie and my YO. worth a try, im hell bent on catching them. this has happened to me on my old yard a few yrs ago but i just brushed it off and locked my bins, this time im not having it! i WILL catch them :D
 
omg so funny ha ha, the baby monitor isnt a bad idea either, they are taking lots of it at once so they arnt even being discrete about it. its really bugged me! My partner has just told me he could fix my video camera to the wall where my rugs are hung so its hidden and he said to put an old fly rig over the front of it and just cut a little hole for the lense... where my stuff is there shouldnt be anyone going in there other than sophie and my YO. worth a try, im hell bent on catching them. this has happened to me on my old yard a few yrs ago but i just brushed it off and locked my bins, this time im not having it! i WILL catch them :D

Great plan with the camera and rug but try to have it pointed at the feed bin so it really does catch the theiving sods red handed! I'd be furious! :mad:
 
I'd suggest you sitting in the feed bin. Ideally wearing a policeman's outfit. As soon as the lid lifts pop up and start blowing your whistle. At this point they'll probably start running. Give chase, whilst screaming 'STOP, thief' and call for back up.
I'd probably follow up with circulating the suspects pictures via social media.
Hope this helps.

Snorts with laughter!!! lol :D

Purple spray on bin and food colouring in horses feed would stain their hands and possible their horses mouth n buckets/water?

Also the smile cctv and mouse traps are good too.......

Good luck and let us know how you get on :cool:
 
Very carefully set a large rat trap just under the surface of your feed level and wait for the expletives to fly ............... Love to be a fly on the wall for that though ;-)
 
My friend set one of these up in her feed bins. http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=180988704406&cmd=VIDESC
Did the job nicely for her.

When I was in a yard with a thief, we knew it was a girl called L but couldn't prove it. Suddenly everyone noticed that L started acting very odd towards me, being very off & unfriendly & also the stealing stopped very suddenly. No one could work it out.
I knew why though.
I put a note on the top of my feed insude the bin saying
'Dear L,
You are nothing but a low down, stinking, dirty thief. We are your friends yet you feel it's ok to help yourself to our stuff. We all know its you so I suggest you stop before we can prove it & you get thrown off the yard.
P.s NOBODY else knows about this note so what you choose to do now is up to you xx

Obviously she could never admit to having read the note as it would've proven she'd been in the feed bin ;)
 
how about baby monitor like someone else suggested, as well as the rat/mice trap in the feed, so thief, steals feed, gets fingers trapped in mouse trap, YO hears on baby monitor, goes to check who it is :)
 
I'd go with a note in the feed bins too. I had this a few years back now and put a note in my bins saying - to the person taking my food, I know who you are and unless you stop I shall be telling the whole yard you are a thief! The next day, the person whom I thought it was approached me and said - Liz, have you had any food go missing as we have too? - confirming my theory that it was them as they must have seen my note and worried what to do about it! Needless to say it stopped. Horrid situation.
 
My friend set one of these up in her feed bins. http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=180988704406&cmd=VIDESC
Did the job nicely for her.

When I was in a yard with a thief, we knew it was a girl called L but couldn't prove it. Suddenly everyone noticed that L started acting very odd towards me, being very off & unfriendly & also the stealing stopped very suddenly. No one could work it out.
I knew why though.
I put a note on the top of my feed insude the bin saying
'Dear L,
You are nothing but a low down, stinking, dirty thief. We are your friends yet you feel it's ok to help yourself to our stuff. We all know its you so I suggest you stop before we can prove it & you get thrown off the yard.
P.s NOBODY else knows about this note so what you choose to do now is up to you xx

Obviously she could never admit to having read the note as it would've proven she'd been in the feed bin ;)

this is a very good idea aswell as the camera, i just bought one :) u see all the horses and tack rooms are in a big amerrican barn type thing, when that alarm goes off it will echo through the whole barn so the rest of the yard will hear it! one way of completely humiliating them ha ha x
 
im going to get it all hooked up over the weekend when my partners off work to fix up the video camera so keep your eye on this thread i will keep you all posted :)
 
Someone on our farm was going round stealing straw, so people decided to coat the straw in invisible UV paint!
Then when that bale 'disappeared' the YO went round the yard with a UV light to see which stable it had been put in :)

Not helpful for feed however .. i'd put knives in it sticking up so they get a nasty surprise next time they feel like taking something that isn't theirs!
 
I was once told by an investigator that if someone is cheating in one place, or area of their life, it will not be an isolated incident. Perhaps someone is not paying their bills on time, etc so yard owner may have an idea who it is.

Camera's are a good idea, I hope for everyone's sake it sorts the problem, but it would be better still if you find out he culprit and it can be sorted properly!
 
We had this, was one of the girls whos parents were well off, but her horse was costing a lod to feed.

We just bagged up each dry feed in a bag and put a tally chart in the feed bin - as well as padlocking it. Funnily enough another 2 bins appeared in the feed shed a few days later............. I also found that tying haynets up SOOOO tight and complicated they have to be cut down each day (tied with baler twine) is a good deterant to hay theifs.

Eveyr yard has one though. I once had all my oster brushed go missing, along with an expensive goat hair polishing brush......Even though it had mine and my horses name etched into them!! It wouldn't have pissed me off so much but I was one of the poorest liveries there! Everyone else was well off, or their mummy and daddy was!
 
Just wondering if you caught your thief? Just read another thread tonight where the person was nicking shampoo/fly spray and the likes and someone put purple spray in an old fly spray container and the thief sprayed her grey horse with it. Reminded me of this thread. Hope you caught the culprit!
 
I had a hay theif, also had a food theif but wasn't staying very long and decided it wasn't worth the hassle as it was only pony nuts.

I left my horse for the night, big pile of hay. I forgot a body brush that I had left out (don't leave anything out !) so went back to get it. Just as I got there I found out another (man) livery taking my horses hay out of his stable !! I went mad and moved in a very short space of time.

I now have mine at home, and in the first month I noticed my bags of feed lasted twice as long.
It's bliss :D I can leave what ever I like out :D Even left my saddle out all night.. Oops !!
 
I'd suggest you sitting in the feed bin. Ideally wearing a policeman's outfit. As soon as the lid lifts pop up and start blowing your whistle. At this point they'll probably start running. Give chase, whilst screaming 'STOP, thief' and call for back up.
I'd probably follow up with circulating the suspects pictures via social media.
Hope this helps.


Yep, best idea yet :D
 
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