Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.
Edds Emu Chick.
Edds Emu Chick with his dog and three of the late Asbo prodigy that Edd hatched.
Another of the Chick
Edwin our Emu who prefers human company.
Emu feather. As you can see one main quill that branches off into two feathers,
I believe I told you in November when I found my first Emu egg. I didn’t bother to try to incubate it as I was unsure how old it was. I left it on the side in our kitchen for a good three weeks before mentioning it to Edd a Farmer from where we get our corn to feed the animals on the Farm. A week later when I returned to collect another load of corn I gave the egg to Edd telling him that I was not over confident that it would hatch. Yesterday afternoon Edd phoned me to tell that the egg was starting to hatch. Edd has just phoned me to tell that he has a live Emu Chick. I am jealous. At least I know that we may get some chicks from the nearly a hundred that are now in the incubator. The Emu have layed over 140 eggs up to now.
Most of the Chickens have been kept in their houses since we lost the last one. Yesterday and today we let those that are just outside the Farm House kitchen door. Two White Silkies, a few Buff Orpington and Dennis. As Mrs.Farmer went to feed the Badgers last night the Fox had just taken one of the White Silkies, just a few yards from the kitchen door. The same Fox that was eating at the Badgers feeding area very soon after. Mrs.Farmer is well upset.
Mick I really am pleased that I was not your neighbour when you were feeding your dead chickens to Fox. Every type of animal or bird has it own scent. Once a Fox takes a Chicken he will remember that scent as an easy kill and will continue to take the easy kill until he can get no more. If Mr.Fox could not get to your Chickens because of your electric fencing, for sure he would have been looking for your neighbors tasty birds after you giving him a taste. As you said Mick the Fox soon learns.
As for those who have suggested trapping the Fox and taking it to another area. I don’t think that you could have seriously thought about the implications. Or would you think it right to give some other person your problem so that their Chicken are taken by Mr.Fox. Or release the captured Fox in another Fox territory. Have you thought about that the other Fox might just not want him there. As for trapping, I don’t believe that any of you would be successful. As the saying goes crafty or as sly as a Mr.Fox. He is not for catching easy. So we wont be trying the trapping angle.
We are getting our Fox problem because we are in the middle the Fox mating season. For sure the Fox taking our Chickens is a young Dog Fox intruder being drawn in by a Vixen on heat. We have Fox close to the Farm. Other than about ten years ago they never gave us any problems. There are for most of the time someone working outside with our two dogs close to the Chickens and other animals, not a place a Fox would want to intrude on unless very hungry. They wont put themselves in unnecessary danger with our Dogs when ample food is available in their close territory. As you can see on the webcams we have more than enough Rabbits, Pheasant and other food sources to keep a Fox more than well fed. The Dog Fox intruder will hang around until the Vixen becomes receptive. Depending on what part of the Vixens cycle the Dog Fox arrived will depend how long he will hang around. If it is a long time he will become very hungry. Not being familiar with the area he will take the easiest food he can find. Our Free Range Chicken. Even after the mating season is over he will still hang about whilst he can smell the scent of easy food.
It is well known on this Forum that I have always been against hunting with dogs, but I never believed that peoples rights should be taken away with the ban. We need more referendum’s in this Country. If a referendum had been held on hunting with dog there would still have been a ban, but it would have been easier for the hunting fraternity to accept it. Since the ban I have had to question part of the ban. In a few circumstances it is causing animals to suffer by more than alternatives than hunting itself. Fox are now being controlled by snaring and lamping. Caught in a snare a Fox may be left to die in agony for a week or more with the snare wire cutting deep into it neck or body, making the Fox struggle more and more trying to escape. Lamping in usually when people guns are lined up on the rear of a Land Rover type vehicle. The vehicle goes around farmland with very bright lamps looking for Fox. When they see a Fox they chase after it taking shots at the Fox with a shotgun. With the vehicles bouncing about over farm land, getting an accurate shot is difficult and very often the Fox escapes through a hedge wounded. The festering gangrene wound may take weeks to finally kill the Fox. Some times the hunts did illegally drag a Fox from it earth, a hole or pipe. Blame those enforcing the law, but it still died a lot quicker than being wounded by snaring or being shot by people lamping.
I can not see any reason for deer hunting. If there are an over population of Deer they will start to encroach on crops, it is then for the Farmers to cull by shooting. Done by professional the Deer will not suffer. It is the Poachers who hunt in the night that injure rather than kill. Mick and Marie/NJ argument about we are inhabiting and taking over the Wildlife’s natural area is ridiculous. The worlds population is increasing unless you are prepared to stop humans mating as they partially do in China or go back to living in the open, caves and woods. You are not going to stop it. Don’t know about Marie but Mick has mentioned his Son. If he was sincere in his argument he should of and any others who feel the same should have kept their pants on and not had Children.
I don’t pretend to know every thing about Country Life and ways. But I live the life daily. I know when we have a problem, and I know when we need to do some thing about the problem. Our web stats for our website shows me that over 95% of our visitors live in towns and cities, so I can understand that there are many who speak with their hearts rather than their heads. I did when I lived in a City.
I can not find the entry on the Forum but some one thought that I may take offence at the criticism about shooting the Fox and close the website. I believe in free speech and I don’t mind being criticised, so it would not make me shut shop and disappear. I hope none of you take offence about the recent Diaries. Although Mr.Fox may.