Farm animals near Lewes
Recent reports of livestock around Lewes's walks, and the grazing notices land managers publish.
Before you rely on this
Animals move, and reports may be missing or out of date. No report doesn't mean no animals. The signs on the gate and what you can see on the day come first.
Dogs must be on a lead near livestock (Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, as amended from 18 March 2026).
Reports and notices
Newest first. The date each was seen is the one that matters; when we checked it is under Details.
No current reports. That doesn't mean there are no animals.
- Grazing area
Sheep at The Cockshut Stream (Lewes Wetlands)
From Thu 1 Oct, no end date given
Sheep are conservation-grazing at the Cockshut Stream. The council asks for dogs on leads when visiting.
Animals may not be here all of this time.
A seasonal grazing notice: Lewes District Council (Instagram), read Mon 5 Oct.
Details
Checked by us Fri 6 Nov. The circle on the map is about 350 m across the middle of where they were, not the field's edge.
- Grazing area
Sheep, cattle and goats at Malling Down
Grazed at times; no dates given
The Trust grazes the reserve with sheep and cattle, and now and then goats. It asks for dogs on short leads all year.
Animals may not be here all of this time.
A seasonal grazing notice: Sussex Wildlife Trust, read Thu 5 Nov.
Details
Checked by us Fri 6 Nov. The circle on the map is about 600 m across the middle of where they were, not the field's edge.
How this works
- Livestock reported: someone saw animals there in the last 7 days, on the date shown.
- Grazing area: a land manager says the site is grazed in the dates they give, or animals are seen there again and again. Each new sighting renews it; 60 days after the last one it goes back to Unknown, with a "Last confirmed" line. Animals may come and go within either.
- Unknown: everywhere else, and any report older than 7 days. An older report still shows here as "Last reported" for up to 28 days, then goes. Unknown is never a sign that a field is empty.
- A report that animals weren't seen never removes a warning. We look at it and decide.
- We check every notice before it appears, and update the site each night. We never show who sent a report, who farms the land, or exactly where an animal stood.
Seen animals? Tell us below, or on the map: press Animals, then Report. Seen something wrong here? Email hello@lewesdogs.co.uk and we'll look at it.
Seen farm animals?
Tell us what you saw, where and when. Nothing goes up until we've checked it.
Where else to look
- The signs on gates and stiles: they are the land manager's word for that day.
- Brighton & Hove City Council grazes sheep and ponies on the city's downland. Its conservation grazing page sends walkers to its @BHSheep account on X for where they are. We don't copy its updates here.
- The lead rules on the South Downs, including lambing.