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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 23, 2010 11:43:58 GMT 1
So sorry to hear about poor old Gandi. Foxes are a nihtmare and at this time of year will be hunting to feed cubs. I thought it was lamas or something similar they used to guard flocks? Now you could really do things with a load of lama hair, Jutta. Spinning, weaving, knitting, felting... and then you could even make your own yurt! ;D
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Post by petdesigns on May 24, 2010 9:59:04 GMT 1
This morning the bl***dy fox got Fini, the white drake - WHILE MARTIN WAS ON THE FIELD!!! I'll meet a colleague of mine on Saturday who keeps Llamas and have a chat about what they could do.... If they would really be a good idea against foxes, I certainly have the space to keep a couple, and if only during 'fox cub time'. The fox is apparently also going around people's gardens, a friend of mine spotted him or her yesterday morning. and there are quite a few people here that keep chicken in the garden... But hair-wise I think your are thinking of Alpakas as to my(admittedly limited) knowledge Llamas should not be shorn.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 24, 2010 11:04:49 GMT 1
That's what I meant, Jutta! But it might be those wo protect flocks...? I get confused. So sorry about Fini. I am afraid that, now your fox has located your place, it will keep on coming back. It is easier picking for it to take ducks and things, that to hunt for wild rabbits. They are a nightmare around here, too, but we do have a few rabbits about over the river now after mixie nearly wiped them out a little while back.
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Post by reclaimingrebus on May 24, 2010 11:14:05 GMT 1
youre right about the foxes coming back.When we had rabbits and ducks in the garden they came every night about 3 am. I know this because it set the dogs off - we had to rehome the ducks eventually, as my neighbours patience was growing very thin! I eventually worked out they were coming in over the garage roof and put a cat scarer up there which helped, but the problem really only went away just after I saw a couple of road kill foxes on the road 100 yards away. They used to sit on the aviary roof and wouldn't move, even though i and the dogs would be out in the garden. even a saucepan of water over them on regular basis didn't dissuade them.
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Post by petdesigns on May 25, 2010 16:00:30 GMT 1
The foxes apparently have their set in the garden of somebody not far away from me - they have easy pickings everywhere here as lots of people keep chicken in their gardens. They've killed quite a few! We're in the process of adding more electric fencing as obviously we can't really let the birds run around during the day anymore. Touch wood - no loss today!
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Post by nicki on May 26, 2010 21:18:26 GMT 1
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Post by petdesigns on Jun 11, 2010 13:21:33 GMT 1
Thank you, Nikki Apparently, it's quite different for Alpacas and Llamas whether they guard feathered ones or sheep as they can sort of 'bond' with sheep. (A friend/colleague of mine rescues llamas, so I've been 'looking into it' quite a bit! - also, that it's got to be a single gelding to have a reliable guard and I think that's very cruel for a sociable animal!) Since we've got the electric fencing up it seems he hasn't been, but I'm sure he's just waiting for the one day the battery is flat or one of us forgets to switch it back on! I don't manage to get on here much at the moment - I was ill for a bit and now Dicker (the bestest Spaniel of them all) has vestibular syndrome again, so not much time to get onto the net, sorry! I'll be back!
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Post by nicki on Jun 11, 2010 17:03:35 GMT 1
Oh no poor Dicker that's horrible for you all That would be sad to keep a Llama or Alpaca on their own - glad you managed to research it though, and it's good news that no-one else has gone missing...
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Post by petdesigns on Jul 3, 2010 9:45:55 GMT 1
This time, Dicker is taking his time to fully recover and has in the meantime also been diagnosed with hypothyroidism - we started him on Thyroxine yesterday. June has been very 'mixed'- all in all we now have 12 chicks (3 days old, 3 weeks old and 5 weeks old), my car needed a new exhaust, our washing machine broke down (dead!), etc etc. But no more fox-related disasters (fingers crossed!!!), all our feathered ones seem happy and good old Baine is her usual hairy, cuddly and always hungry self!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Jul 3, 2010 10:33:59 GMT 1
Let's hope that Dicker will soon be back to his usual self, and that the fox stays away, the chicks and others all thrive, and that your can and kitchen gadgets all behave. I'm hoping that we'll see you at LT one of these days, Jutta. I think it could be next year before we are able to start the plant exchanges there, so a little time to prepare. (Well, we have to think of some way to make use of the many flowerpots we seem to be collecting! )
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Post by petdesigns on Jul 8, 2010 9:45:09 GMT 1
Oh I'd love to come over!!! I'll have to start planning - maybe in August Animals still ok - Dicker still taking his time to recover, but he does seem happy in himself and wants his walks!! (at least 3 a day, otherwise he is a right nuisance!)
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Jul 8, 2010 11:52:22 GMT 1
That's good news on both counts, Jutta, and I hope that Dicker continues to pester you for all his walks for a long time. (Also that our caravan materialises before August! )
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Post by petdesigns on Sept 22, 2010 10:11:40 GMT 1
What a long time it's been... I'm so sorry I can't get on here much at the moment. Have been ill a couple of times (at the moment I have a voice box inflammation and can't talk - it's killing me not to be able to talk all day long!!!) and also been away to see my family. We now have 2 more young geese or rather 1 goose and 1 gander. The 4 of them get on really well and one of the geese is - totally out of season! - laying eggs at the moment! We are also keeping 3 of the hens we bred, the other youngsters are all rehomed, thankfully. So now we have 1 cockerel and 5 hens - all the rare breed "Vorwerk". We got two more ducks (which means we now have 1 drake and 8 ducks, 4 of which are Khaki Campbells, the rest are fairly large crossbreeds). Baine is now 10 years old and Dicker is 14.5 years old, both still well (in Dicker's case - surprisingly well according to the vets! I think it's 'mind over matters', he's just so keen on doing things he just ignores all the aches and pains!) PS and we're still researching Llamas, I'd quite like to have a couple! PPS I went to a great talk by a female adventuress the other day - "Travels in Turkestan” A journey around the great Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva and the present-day role of the Turkoman Horse and the story of one special horse, the Akhal-Teke Atamekan and his Silk Road journey with Gill from Nisa to Merv, his subsequent starvation and rescue and his “Thank you”: an epic fundraising marathon for medical research into M.E. A delight not “just” for horse-lovers, but for anybody with even the remotest interest in history, other cultures, other countries, landscapes, the effects of communism Soviet style – and most of all for anybody with a taste for adventure, as this brave lady travelled alone in a very remote country on horseback, having a limited ability to walk due to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis! If you are interested to learn more, please check out: www.kyzyltekes.co.ukand www.gillsuttle.co.uk/(I was seriously impressed! And her books are fascinating, too)
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Sept 22, 2010 20:01:11 GMT 1
That sounds really interesting, Jutta, thanks for posting details. Great to catch up with all your bird and dogs news, but sorry to hear you've not been well. Hope the current problem will be better very soon. I lost a duck the other day, and suspect a mink was responsible, as the poor thing was found headless in the duck shed in the morning. It was okay the night before.
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