BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
RIP Mildred 
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Self-indulgent pet thread
- Thread starter ShiftyBagLady
- Start date
trabuquera
Modesty Bag
Oh (pigtails). All my sympathy for your loss. Mildred looks like a lovely creature and the pic you posted is beautiful - classic cat, almost smiling in her sleep. Think of her like that and know that you did all a cat could desire to keep her alive and well. We're all mortal ... even cats.
RIP Mildred
RIP Mildred
pigtails
putting the tit in titilate
Yuwipi Woman
Whack-A-Mole Queen
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Blimey, the fox really wants my Elvis! I let her out briefly and something made me go and check on her five minutes later. She was under the bench with a fox pulling feathers off her. Chased it away and Elvis seems fine, poor little thing. The other chicks were in the covered run and are fine. Bastard fox is not having my Elvis 
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
Best thing to do, having asked the very same question from the lady who delivers eggs once a week to work, is to have an electric fence - give "your" fox a nice little belt and then he won't bother your hens again - if you do give Mr Fox the bullet then you'll have a new fox in quick sharp and the process starts all over again
When they were starting up, they had 40'odd of their hens killed in one attack - fitted up an electric fence and not had any problems since
When they were starting up, they had 40'odd of their hens killed in one attack - fitted up an electric fence and not had any problems since
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Electric fences cost a few hundred quid a metre and obviously require an electricity point. Plus they'd mean my cats couldn't leave the garden; not sure my neighbours would appreciate it either.
Their covered run is a decent size, and that seems foxproof, but Elvis is currently fighting with the chicks and sleeping in my daughter's bedroom, and we're going out for a bit now, hence her free-ranging on her own this morning. I usually wait till the afternoon to let them out unsupervised - guess I'll stick to that.
Their covered run is a decent size, and that seems foxproof, but Elvis is currently fighting with the chicks and sleeping in my daughter's bedroom, and we're going out for a bit now, hence her free-ranging on her own this morning. I usually wait till the afternoon to let them out unsupervised - guess I'll stick to that.
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a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
No they don't.
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
Chickens at different stages of development should be kept in a separate run until the chicks are at point of lay otherwise the chicks will be bullied mercilessly or even killed. Do you know what sex the chicks are? If there's more than one cock bird in there then that's another whole world of pain.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
The ones I've found online do.
Only one chick is that young. They are being kept separately, like I said. The chick could possibly be male, but if it is it'd be the only one. I'm not running a chicken farm with dozens of them!
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
Fair enough. Lots of good chickening experience and advice here if you're interested:
Omlet Forums • View forum - Chickens
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
I'm on Backyard Chickens - they're pretty useful.I'm not actually doing anything wrong though and feel a little under attack here. Guess I should stop mentioning my pets on this pet thread!
You've no need to feel under attack, that wasn't my intention. I think keeping chickens is a worthwhile and rewarding experience but they're not as easy to keep well as people think. They're prone to loads of health problems that are difficult to spot in a timely fashion and tricky to diagnose correctly and even then they're not so easy to treat.
Their social organisation and hierarchy needs to be catered for, separate runs, broody cages, adequate perches and fresh clean pasture etc. They're social animals but at the same time they can be cold blooded killers, I've seen them tear a rat to pieces and attack and maim an inquisitive pigeon. They will also, if not prevented from doing so, attack their own kind if they sense a weakness.
Enjoy keeping chickens but when you post about some of the problems that you've had you should perhaps expect posters who are taking an interest to chip in.
This is an observation not a criticism btw.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Christ, mentioning having a fox try to get my chickens is not mentioning having problems! Foxes will always try that, it's a fact of life, not a sign that I'm a silly little woman who's done no research and needs advice from people who don't actually have chickens! This is supposed to be a friendly little thread.
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
We've kept chickens for twelve years where we are now, pure breeds and rescued battery birds. When I was a kid I maintained a steady flock of about three dozen birds.
This is a friendly little thread and I can't see anything here that would suggest that it isn't.
This is a friendly little thread and I can't see anything here that would suggest that it isn't.
two sheds
Least noticed poster 2007
Christ, mentioning having a fox try to get my chickens is not mentioning having problems! Foxes will always try that, it's a fact of life, not a sign that I'm a silly little woman who's done no research and needs advice from people who don't actually have chickens! This is supposed to be a friendly little thread.
Read what Libertad said again, scifi - when I first read it I thought he'd put it a bit strongly but on rereading that wasn't the intention at all.
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
That's 110cm tall, so useless. Foxes would just jump over it. It's also not proper fencing, just thin wire. Fencing that would actually work is a lot more and there's no point spending £158 on something that doesn't work. It would also require having an outdoor electric socket, which in my garden would cost £350 to install (I got two quotes; my garden is awkward), or a battery which would require replacing now and then. Plus, like I said, I don't think the neighbours would appreciate me electrocuting their cats. I have three small chickens in a 3.3m by 1.5m covered run who get to free-range with supervision at least a couple of hours a day. I do not need to create Fort Knox.
It would help if the neighbours didn't encourages foxes to live in their garden. Otherwise the fox would have to climb over 11 other gardens to get to mine and wouldn't be as tempted to be here so often.
I did look into it, you know; I'm not a moron.
CRI
Registered Chooser
Some very sad news I'm afraid. Griff passed away yesterday morning. He'd been having some health problems recently, but was still being his cheeky self, enjoying his food and cuddles. Tuesday though, he was a bit more subdued. I got up with him several times overnight and around 4 am it was clear he was in decline. I got everything ready to get to the vets when the doors opened, but he passed peacefully while being cuddled at about 7.30 am. All the other animals were sitting around, very quiet, like they sort of knew.
I know Urbanites were quite fond of the little fluffball. I'm so sorry to give the sad news.
"Benthyg dros amser byr yw popeth a geir yn y byd hwn." Rydyn ni yn caru ti. Rydym yn colli yn fawr iawn i ti.
"Everything you have in this world is just borrowed for a short time." We love you. We will miss you very much.
I know Urbanites were quite fond of the little fluffball. I'm so sorry to give the sad news.
"Benthyg dros amser byr yw popeth a geir yn y byd hwn." Rydyn ni yn caru ti. Rydym yn colli yn fawr iawn i ti.
"Everything you have in this world is just borrowed for a short time." We love you. We will miss you very much.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Awww no!
