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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Feb 11, 2010 15:50:08 GMT 1
There are feral cats all over the allotments and places around here. One managed to give the terrorist a bit of a hiding and then escape before she had a chance to retaliate, but her screams were not of pain, but because she was being restrained from persuit and so wound up! Now she starts screaming for revenge (or just the thrill of the kill she intends to make) the moment she sets eyes on a cat.
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Post by petdesigns on Feb 11, 2010 17:16:18 GMT 1
At least Dicker didn't do the screaming when he was on his erm forages .... Maybe I won't borrow your terrorist. Sounds like she'd drive me mad within about half an hour at the most IF the second goose is a gander, then yes, I'd like to have some goslings. i'm pretty sure I'll mention here if I get any further little animals!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Feb 11, 2010 18:46:29 GMT 1
You'll have to watch the way they interact, Jutta, and for signs that it is a gander or another goose. Is the other one protective towards the one you know is laying?
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Post by petdesigns on Feb 21, 2010 21:09:19 GMT 1
Since we found one egg one day and two the next, we decided they're two girls... and henceforth we have today rehomed an old gander who was at Happy Landings Animal Shelter! I hope he and the girls will get along well, Gandhi gander could do with his last years in relative freedom together with other geese (he was locked on his own in a shed for years)! At the moment they're in so to speak adjacent pens to get used to each other. He very obviously just wants to be with them!! AND if I could have more than my two dogs (they don't want more dogs in the house!) I'd have come home with a Springer Spaniel cross from Happy Landings, too! He's about 9 years old and such a cutie! If anybody is looking for a springy thing - do have a look on their website, please! www.happy-landings.org.uk/rehoming.php?category=Dogs&Submit=Go
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Post by petdesigns on Feb 28, 2010 9:54:19 GMT 1
And here he is, Gandhi Gander - he was out with the girls on 22 February and has never looked back since! They were a little bit wary of him the first day, but that didn't last long and they're now always together, grazing as well as swimming in the brook. He's starting to put on weight, too, the old boy.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Feb 28, 2010 10:15:09 GMT 1
That's great news, Jutta, and he does look much happier now, too, bless him. He will become happier still if there should be the patter of little gosling feet, even if you need to do a bit of engineering to ensure some eggs hatch. ;D
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Post by petdesigns on Feb 28, 2010 10:53:19 GMT 1
I'll try my best, Al They're not laying a lot (yet?) and they don't seem to be broody (yet?), but they've got all spring!! Gandhi is very adventurous (sp?) - we've had to rescue him out of the brook twice (even though he didn't seem to think he needed rescuing) and now the geese have their own safe access to the brook which they all thoroughly enjoy!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Feb 28, 2010 12:22:59 GMT 1
It is a little bit early for them to sit yet, but to encourage them to do so, you would need to leave the eggs to build up to a clutch. Possibly by marking the eggs with a number so that you can then start taking some if the clutch becomes too large, or to substitute some you know to be most likely fertile when they sit. Geese will often sit up to about 20 eggs!
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 1, 2010 9:57:52 GMT 1
I'm not quite sure how/where to let them sit - as they are not immune to foxes.... They always try to get up the 'bank' of our brook where of course I can't just put a fence around a sitting goose! I'll have to give it some serious thought! But the three of them really seem to be rather happy together and the girls don't even seem to mind acting like 'guide dogs' for Gandhi!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 1, 2010 10:39:33 GMT 1
If they are laying in their night shed, Jutta, then probably that is the best place for them to sit. Ours used to build a nest in their shed from straw, and in an old draw from a chest of draws!
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 1, 2010 12:33:06 GMT 1
No, they're not laying in their fox-proof night area, but outside of that on the bank of the brook- very exposed and dangerous. But maybe they'll change their minds once they actually geet broody and lay their eggs in a safe place! PS One goose egg today - and 5 duck eggs from the 6 ducks I have. I'm very proud of my girlies
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 1, 2010 14:02:21 GMT 1
Jutta, if you could construct a straw filled nesting area in their night building, it may well encourage them to nest there, especially if they are fenced in the area of that for a few days.
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 3, 2010 11:24:00 GMT 1
One egg in the 'proper' area (on straw!) last night!!
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 19, 2010 17:31:57 GMT 1
They're still laying outside the night area But Gandhi Gander is actually 'having his way' with the girls....
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 19, 2010 18:10:48 GMT 1
They sound like my ducks, who seem to lay wherever the mood takes them, be that in the shredded paper in their nesting area, on the run floor in the mud or even in their bath! The one who seems mostly to lay in the right place, is Snowy, the runner duck, except neither of the drakes seem to even fancy her! Think they must be colour prejudicded, as the others are all brown. Snowy lays a greeny egg, the others all lay white ones.
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 29, 2010 14:52:39 GMT 1
The last 3 eggs were laid where I want them to... Let's see what happens now! AND - last week Saturday we got a surprise, we were supposed to get 'children' from this lot some time this year, but now we got the (young) adult as the former owners had to downsize due to fox problems. May I introduce - Vorwerk chicken (yes, that is the real breed name!) and his lordship "JO"
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Post by nicki on Mar 30, 2010 13:50:35 GMT 1
Jutta they are gorgeous what distinctive and attractive hens I hope they are settling in well - what a wonderful oppportunity. Well I was just doing a quick google and found that they have a unique claim to fame it is the only breed of chicken that shares its name with a vacuum cleaner (made in Germany, of course).
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Post by petdesigns on Mar 30, 2010 16:00:54 GMT 1
Their very first eggs laid 'when mine' are under the broody hen of a friend... Would be nice to get some more vacuum cleaners
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Post by reclaimingrebus on Mar 30, 2010 18:54:58 GMT 1
If they are as effective as my vorwerk vac they'll do you proud. They are def. very handsome
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Post by petdesigns on May 23, 2010 10:51:31 GMT 1
The fox got Gandi yesterday in broad daylight! I just can't believe it. He was only killed (neck broken) and just left there, we believe the other two geese chased the fox off (and hopefully gave him/her loads of painful bites). The others are all ok (no goslings - the eggs all seem to be infertile). We have 4 Vorwerk chicks with the help of a broody hen of a friend - at least some good news! And 5 eggs are under Laura, who got all broody last weekend (she's in an eglu, so the fox shouldn't be able to get her!) .. and now I'm reading up on 'flock guarding donkeys', but it looks as though they only guard a) when they are on their own, i.e. with no other donkey and b) only sheep and that only if they were socialised properly with them. What a shame, I'd have loved to have such a very good reason to have a donkey (or pony)!
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