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Monday night I forgot to close the doors of two…

Monday night I forgot to close the doors of two of the Chicken Houses. It must have been on my mind as I woke at 5.am Tuesday morning realising what I had done. On checking the Chicken House close to the Kitchen door all was OK with the eight Chickens that live in it pecking around the Lawn. On my way to the other house my worse fears were justified as I came across white Chicken feathers. There were some of the Chickens including Asbo walking around but not in the place that they normally should be and not greeting me in anticipation for their morning feed. On checking the House inside was the remains of a Light Sussex hen. The Hen was the Mother of three Chicks that she had hatched over six weeks ago. The Chick were OK and at an age where they would no longer rely on their Mother. They were already usually on their own so loosing their Mother would not be to much of a hardship. By the side of the Chicken House I found parts of another Light Sussex and a trail of feather around a large area but no sign of an other Chicken. After a count it was two Light Sussex Hen that had been killed. Another of the Light Sussex looked as if had a very luck escape with the amount of feathers that was missing from various parts of it body.

On this occasion I am quite sure that it was not a Fox that had killed the Chickens. Recently on quite a few occasions when I had checked around the Farm Buildings last thing of a night I had disturbed the Badger Cubs with an adult Badger just by the stables within ten metres from the Kitchen door, I am sure it was them that had killed the Hens. They had found some old Emu eggs that I had left in a bag and had been trying to break into the eggs for a food source. That day I had collected the remaining eggs and had put them in the dustbin for the Dustmen to take away, it had made the Badgers look elsewhere for another food source. The other reason for blaming the Badgers was what remains where left of the Hens. I would have expected a Fox to have taken the Chickens away. The remains of the hen in the Chicken House had been only partially eaten.

Asbo and his family usually house themselves very early at night compared to the other Chickens, but last night not surprisingly they did not want to return to their House. It took a long while and not before nearly 10pm did we get most of them shut up in their house, and that only with the help of one of our Holiday Guests and a large fishing landing net. I must admit I nearly gave up trying. The Light Sussex that had a lucky escape and a Leghorn found another place to roost and were found this morning.

The Welsh Assembly got put in their place yesterday by the High Court for the proposed Welsh Badger Cull. The Judgement was that the cull would be unlawful. The better news is that there will not be an appeal against the Law Lords decision. It puts it even more in doubt that there will be a cull in England. Not that I expected this new Government would have wasted any money with an English cull.

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Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

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.

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Well well there are a few entries on the forum…

Well, well there are a few entries on the forum that are judging me for telling that if I cant protect our Chickens, Geese and Turkey with electric fencing I will have to shoot it. I may have misunderstood today’s entry by Maria that I am encouraging the Fox by feeding the Badgers. If it had not been for the Badgers in the first place there would never had been the Wildlife TV website and the web cams. So I make no apologises for feeding the Badgers. Before we started to feed the Badgers we had our Children’s Chickens taken by a Fox. Feeding the Badgers is not the cause of the Fox taking the Chickens.

Yesterday after leaving the Chickens, Geese and Turkey in their housing housing for two days we let them out to stretch their legs and our Black Rock Chicken was taken by the Fox, and that was even with us checking them every ten to fifteen minutes. And no Mick (Hampshire) it was not a Stoat or Mink, it was a Fox.

Unfortunately after having a very careful look at the possibility of electric fencing it will not be practical as there are to many access points and gates that are in constant use. I even considered a large fenced area for the Chickens, Geese and Turkey but the cost of such a structure is prohibitive and it takes away our choice of having the Birds free range and the Birds their freedom. I purchased the Geese as they were confined in an unsuitable area and I felt that they should have their freedom.

I like most welcomed the ban on hunting with dogs. But with no natural predator there is no way of that the Fox can be controlled other than them being shot. Why should they be controlled? There are to many. Even before the hunting ban their natural boundaries were extended into out Town and Cities where they are classed as vermin. Because of their scavenging for food around dustbins that have caused an increase in rat population. Hunting although I still believe is cruel, it is a much better option than shooting. They are even killed outright or get away. With shooting there is always the chance that the Fox will suffer weeks of agony with wounds.

I believe that all of our Wildlife is important and have over the years done more than most to protect it. I do not relish even the thought that it may be necessary to kill a Fox, but domesticated Animals and Birds are of no less of importance than than those in the Wild. I introduced the Chickens, Geese and Turkey to Denbury and I have a duty to protect them from predator. Is it right that the Birds are slaughtered, some times not even as a meal without giving them protection. It could be that some of you may feel that domesticated fowl are less important than a Fox. I don’t.

We know and feel for all of the Animals and Birds that we keep at Denbury, as you would your own Pets. Would you allow your pets to be attacked or killed without doing all you could to stop it? I spent many hours and a lot of money electric fencing the Lake to stop the Fox and Otter from killing the Canadian Geese. More for the Geese and Ducks than our Fish. It was a bonus that it protected both. Unfortunately electric fencing will not work to protect the Birds.

No doubt some of those judging me are the same who sit down to eat their Sunday joint and two veg. The joint that got its way to your table starting as a living Animal at a Farm, travelling maybe hundreds of miles in a crowded lorry to a livestock market. To be penned up for hours tightly packed waiting to go into the auction ring where they are prodded and poked to keep them moving, before being put back into their pens to wait hours to be shipped to holding farms before finishing up in a slaughter house, again waiting for hours smelling the fear of death before they are shot in the head or electrically stunned, hung up within seconds with the chance that their skins and hides are ripped off of their backs before they are properly dead. Or maybe you had a Chicken for your dinner. The same Chicken that was hooked upside down by one leg before having its throat cut still flapping its wings trying to escape why being plucked. Maybe you had Fish. The same Fish that was trawled and netted by the thousands. So much weight in the nets that other than those Fish at the top where squashed, then allowed to die a lingering death on the deck of a trawler. If it is necessary to kill a Fox it will be done to protect, not for gain

Sue, Middlesex. I don’t allow links.

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Every evening that I try to write an entry some…

Every evening that I try to write an entry some thing comes up and it never gets started.

Three days ago a Fox had one of our Chickens. To be honest with the amount of Geese that we have who were in the area where the Fox stuck, we should have been warned with the noise that they make, but we did not hear a sound. I thought until the next day when he had another taken that it may have been a Sparrow Hawk or an Owl. All of the Chickens are very friendly and the first that was taken was Fluffy a Black Silky. We got it with a White Silky that an Owl had on the first day that we let it out. Fluffy was one of our Holiday guests favorite Chickens, she would always be a the Cottages doors waiting for a crumb or two.

Being that I thought that it was a Sparrow Hawk or Owl I didn’t take any precautions in case it returned. That was a big mistake as on Monday the Fox returned and had Asbo. We had not had Asbo very long and he was originally purchased only to produce Chicks. Although he had come from a Farm where he would not have come into much contact with people he was extremely friendly and like Fluffy he was a great favorite with our Holiday Guests. At least we have nearly 100 of his off springs.

We cant take the risk that the Fox will take more of the Chicken and Geese so for the past two days every one is in their houses and will have to stay there until we can get a electric fenced area for them. I have not had a firearms licence for nearly twelve years but I am applying for one today in case we can not stop the Fox from taking the Chickens.

Most of you know my feelings about hunting with dogs, but since the ban there are many more Fox around. As much as I don’t like Fox hunting it was a better alternative than having to shoot them. Shooting a Fox can leave them injured rather that killing the outright as with hunting and they may have weeks of pain with shot gun wounds.

Some of you saw the Fox in the Valley the other night. There were three. Probably a Vixen in season and two suitors. I must admit if I had a shotgun there would have been one or two less.

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Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Asbo, taken by Vicky.

The Bagot Goats.

Meet our new addition to the Chickens, Asbo we have named him. We named him today after a complaint from Diane who he woke at 3.am this morning with his Cock-A-Doodle-Doing. As you can see he is a fine looking fella.

Asbo is a Light Sussex Cockerel that we have got to run with our laying Hens, 5 of which are Light Sussex. We got the Chickens to give us and our Holiday Guests eggs. It has been one of the best decisions that we made. Our Guest have enjoyed having the Chickens, Geese and not to forget Dennis clucking around the Cottages, and all those who have eaten the eggs think they are better than those in the supermarkets.

The reason for getting Asbo was that now that the Cottages are not going to be so busy for the next couple of months the eggs will go to waste. Hopefully Asbo will start to fertilise them and we will be able to incubate the eggs and produce chicks to grow on to be sold as laying birds in the Spring. Light Sussex are one of the best laying Chickens producing large brown eggs.

The only problem we have is that Asbo is Cock-A-Doodle-Doing. Although we are on a Farm in the countryside, and it is nice to hear a Cockerel, it is anti social at 3.am in the morning. I didn’t hear it myself, but I would not want to be woken by a Cockerel at 3.am. Tonight we are going to try to darken the Chicken house so that it is completely dark inside even when light outside, as we were told that a Cockerel will not Cock-A-Doodle- Do if it is completely dark. I am not convinced. If he wakes anyone tonight he will be going back from where he came until the Cottages are not occupied. We will only need him for a month or so and when we are finished with him he will go back.

The Bagot Goats have also been a bit of a problem. I knew there was a reason for me not having Goats in the past. They eat any thing and will make themselves a nuisance trying to get it, that they are with the Rhea. They are not happy with their feed if the can see the Rhea eating theirs so they try to chase the Rhea away from their feeding trough so they can eat it. It causes us to spend time that we don’t have not got keeping the Goats away from the Rhea food.

I am not sure how many Billy’s and Nanny’s we have. I was told the there were I Billy 3 Nanny’s and an un-sexed Kid, probably a Nanny. It is a Billy and the way that the Goats are dueling there may not be as many Nanny’s as I think. A stand to put the Rheas trough on may stop the Goats, as the the Rhea are a lot taller. As long as the Goats don’t knocked the raised trough over it may work. The duelling is a bit different. If it is because there are more Billy’s some will have to go. The Kid Billy has an Asbo and will be going in the Spring or there will be unnecessary fighting.

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Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

A few pics, for you, I came across in my Photos.

The Sloth was at a Wildlife Park near Burford, Oxon. Peter

Bit early for the bird’s yet, won’t be long though. Peter

Swans were local to me. Peter

The Black Silkie that was on the Photo Page last night is a big hit with our Holiday Guests. She looks as someone said on the Forum to have attitude. She tries very hard to be friends with the other Chickens but unfortunately for her it is all to do with the pecking order and she is bottom and gets bullied. As she is on her own since the White Silkie was taken by the Owl, she tries too mix with the other Chicken but they chase her off. It has made her quite friendly quickly with the Holiday Guests as she hangs around with the Chickens outside the Cottage doors hoping for a crumb. Being small and cute as someone said last week she tend to be given extra crumbs which keeps her around the Cottages for longer.

We have two Silkie Chicks a Gold and a White that when they are older will be able to be housed with her. There are also over 30 eggs in the incubator waiting to hatch. There is a good selection of different colours. White, Gold, Black and Blue and the intention is to breed them next year once they reach egg laying.

We find lots of the word associated with Chickens not to be very nice. Poultry, Fowl, Pullets, Poults and even Chicken itself is not that nice. We tend not to use the words other than Chicken. There must be a few more that you know. Maybe regional names.

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Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Today Chris and I took my Stepson to the Bristol Museum where there is an exhibition by Banksy, the infamous Bristol Graffiti Artist.
It was incredible – and FREE!! We queued for nearly an hour to get in – and it was quite surprising to see people in the queue whom you’d NEVER expect to see there!!

An artistic Monkey – it blinked as it looked at the canvas;

Beautiful Statue – out on the town with a fag and a drink!;

Princess Bunny putting on make-up;

Someone moved the painting…..so the water ran out!!;

This is one of my favourites – taking a break!;

Some of the photos are a little blurred, this is because, although photography was allowed, flash photography wasn’t.
It really was a great exhibition, so clever and original!

Bristol is not far from the Farm, if only I had the time I would go. Keep checking the adds. And we could do with some more photographs.

The injured Goose seems to have made a full recovery. She is no longer having antibiotics injections and the pillow case that she has been wearing to stop her from pecking at the injury and her stitches has now been taken off. When it was taken off she ran away flapping her wings and honking as if in excitement. The injury looks as if it has healed extremely well and there seems to be no reason why she should have any problems.

One of the two Silkies that we got last week has been taken. We believe by a Tawney Owl. When we get new Chicken we keep them shut in a small house for a few days next to our other Chickens so that they become aware of the surroundings and noises. It works very well. On letting them out they will usually peck about very close to their house and more often than not jump up into it when they go in for the night. We let them both out on Sunday and they did what they normally do, both staying close to each other. At about 8.30pm when it was time to shut up the Chicken houses the White Silkie was missing. We hoped that she had wandered off a little further, and had settled down away for the night. We looked around for over an hour without finding her. We had hoped that she would be about the next morning but there was no sign of her. Later in the day I found what was probably the remains of some of her feathers. It may have been a Fox or Sparrow Hawk that had taken her. I doubt the Fox as he would have caused a lot of commotion with the other Chickens and Geese.
Although the Doves are sometime taken by a Sparrow Hawk there hasn’t been any sightings of one recently.

The reason we believe it was an Owl is that one has been in a tree closest to the Farm House that is very near to where the Chickens are kept. Last night just before it was completely dark I had to go and check on the Lake and the Owl nearly hit my head as it came from the direction of the Chicken houses to the tree. Its a fair assumption that it was the Owl.

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Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

These were all taken in my garden the nest in the eaves of the house is a housemartin I think there are only 2 babies this year. Sue.

This is a snap my sister took of my Dads cascade on his pond. Karen Stoke.

Duck. Karen Stoke.

It looks very much as a Fox has had one of our Geese. We have been looking for over an hour in the places that she hangs out but as of yet we have no managed to find her. Although it is not a certain sign we have found some down feathers that look as if they may have come from her neck area. Although not a certain sign it doesn’t look good.

The Goose is one that has slightly deformed legs that makes her waddle with her body nearly touching the ground. The deformity has caused her to have difficulty walking so she is very often sitting on her own mostly on the lawn area out side our kitchen door. There are two other areas that she could be found, one being the overgrown sand Horse arena the other close to where we found the down.

It is nearly impossible without great expense to confine Geese and Chickens in a area that is suitable where the Geese can graze and Chickens scratch around so we allow them to be free range. They are not going to like it as we will need keep them in for a few days in the hope that the Fox will hunt in a different area if he doesn’t see the Geese and Chicken around when he comes. As for sure he will be back tomorrow.

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Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

ALL TOOK AT RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK. LYNNE.

I WONT BE FEEDING THE BADGERS UNTIL 8.45PM

I have not been watching the webcams a lot after I feed the Badgers, so I didn’t realise that the Rooks had been taking most of the Badger bread before the Badgers came out. It was only because some of our Holiday Guests had wanted to go to the hide last night after I had fed the Badgers that I realised. I don’t normally let people go up to the hide after I have fed the Badgers in case it disturbs them, but on looking I could see that there was very little bread left.

The Rook Chicks will leave their nests over the next two days, the 5th and 6th of May so the parents a busily feeding them and will do until they can fly so the Badger food is easy pickings.

All of the twelve Geese and six Chickens are free range now, other than three new Chickens that we got on Saturday. We put all them away at night. The Chickens have got use to being shut up of a night and are all in their house by eightish. The Geese haven’t learnt yet but they are not a lot of bother getting them into their Stable. Hopefully they will learn to house themselves soon. It is nice seeing all of them around the Farm, and our Holiday Guests enjoy them and the fresh eggs that we supply. The Fox is a concern as they will try to get both the Geese and Chickens. Unfortunately that is nature and other than keep them locked up all day there is not a lot you can do about the Fox. Badger also will take Chickens and Geese but as the Badger is rarely out in the day he is not such a threat when they are housed of a night.

All of the first Chicken that we got are now laying eggs. A little small at the moment as this is the first time that they have produced eggs, but they are getting larger. Mind you we have had a couple of double yolkers. At first they were laying here, there and every where, but over the past couple of days they have been going back to their house to lay their eggs. A couple of the Geese are also laying. These we are incubating as we have seen the Gander mating with the Geese.

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Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

3 of our new Chickens.

Another three. Well at least you can see another ones head.

Our incubator.

The Higher car ferry, Dartmouth. In June this year to be replaced by a much larger ferry. This one takes 16 cars, the new one will take 32!