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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 12, 2015 20:11:33 GMT
This walked past the end of our garden today and dose the same several times a day, every day. It is so fearless, we were only meters away, about 3 I would say.
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Post by FFG on Jun 12, 2015 20:20:43 GMT
They do look lovely and great to see but not when you have got chooks!!
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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 12, 2015 20:27:57 GMT
They do look lovely and great to see but not when you have got chooks!! And not when you've come home to one in your garden chewing on one of them. She survived with a lot of stitching antibiotics and money.
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Post by FFG on Jun 12, 2015 20:30:32 GMT
Ahhh that's horrible! Poor thing
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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 12, 2015 20:36:11 GMT
Ahhh that's horrible! Poor thing Yeah, it was quite shocking to see. If she hadn't been such a big hen she wouldn't be here now. He couldn't jump over the fence with her so he was plucking her by the gate when I saw him. She was so lucky.
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Post by OP on Jun 13, 2015 5:32:00 GMT
Foxes are getting less timid these days. They seem to know that town folks are not out to kill them anymore. I have caught one on my CCTV a time or two. They just roam like a dog looking for something to eat. It must have been really horrible for you starlingquenn.
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Post by Shirls on Jun 13, 2015 6:48:56 GMT
OMG!!! How scarey that must have been for you and the chooks. Did your chooks free range before seeing foxy then starlingqueen?
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Jun 13, 2015 8:40:52 GMT
Oh starlingqueen that is very upsetting. I am glad that your chicken is okay. to her XX
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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 13, 2015 9:45:18 GMT
OMG!!! How scarey that must have been for you and the chooks. Did your chooks free range before seeing foxy then starlingqueen? Yes they free ranged for years. Then our neighbours moved in next door and started putting food out for the foxes and they began to come closer. They had never come near the houses before. Now they are here all the time. I've seen them on CCTV walk right up to my back door. I drives my old dog nuts every day when he goes into his territory and smells another "dog" then the neighbours moan because he dares to bark.
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Post by milliej on Jun 13, 2015 9:57:15 GMT
We live in rural Cumbria and never see any four legged wild life my eldest daughter lives in London and she's had two fox cubs born in the plant pots in her back garden! I think part of the problem is that we have built up or taken over so much wild life habitat and foxes seem to be one of those - love them or hate them. Personally I think they're magnificent creatures, no worse than all the d***** cats that come into our garden taking birds! Foxes have been known to break into hen houses haven't they? They can be very determined but as Chris Packham said on Spring Watch, it's the food chain, if they have young to feed they'll go to great lengths to find and give them food! While I never put food out for ground feeders, it doesn't stop some predators from having a go at bird food! I'm so glad your chook is ok though SQ thankfully because of your care! Poor little chook
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Post by Shirls on Jun 13, 2015 9:59:54 GMT
Oh dear Wendy. Some neighbours are just not very considerate, what with seagulls and foxes! Hope your chickens are all ok now. How many have you got now (after Willow passing) is it just two? My two do just fine on their own, needless to say I shall be collecting another three very soon.
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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 13, 2015 10:22:09 GMT
We live in rural Cumbria and never see any four legged wild life my eldest daughter lives in London and she's had two fox cubs born in the plant pots in her back garden! I think part of the problem is that we have built up or taken over so much wild life habitat and foxes seem to be one of those - love them or hate them. Personally I think they're magnificent creatures, no worse than all the d***** cats that come into our garden taking birds! Foxes have been known to break into hen houses haven't they? They can be very determined but as Chris Packham said on Spring Watch, it's the food chain, if they have young to feed they'll go to great lengths to find and give them food! While I never put food out for ground feeders, it doesn't stop some predators from having a go at bird food! I'm so glad your chook is ok though SQ thankfully because of your care! Poor little chook We live on the Romney Marsh in the south east. For 14 years we didn't see any foxes, then the neighbours moved in. I know foxes have to eat and feed cubs but they were doing fine, so why do people think they have to interfere and feed them? We now have rats and mice too. Whether that's because of the food being available to them or that the foxes don't need to catch them any more or both, I don't know. I used to love to see foxes, now they just fill me with horror. I wouldn't wish them harm though.
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Post by starlingqueen on Jun 13, 2015 10:25:11 GMT
Oh dear Wendy. Some neighbours are just not very considerate, what with seagulls and foxes! Hope your chickens are all ok now. How many have you got now (after Willow passing) is it just two? My two do just fine on their own, needless to say I shall be collecting another three very soon. Yes, it's just Fern and Bracken now. They kick up a hell of a row when the other is laying and they can't find her. Exciting times to come then Shirls. You will have lots of fun with the new ones. Hope they settle in easily for you.
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Post by milliej on Jun 13, 2015 21:27:20 GMT
We had trouble when we lived in a mobile home park down south, one woman in particular who was always getting told off by the others, insisted on feeding the mallards on the lake we had, every day with white bread. Seriously, she was a menace the males dominated the place (birds that is not men!) and the poor females had an awful time when the breeding season was on! Whats that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions, I really wish some people would keep their good intentions to themselves when it comes to wild life
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Post by FFG on Jun 14, 2015 11:41:25 GMT
Sorry, changing the subject a bit but milliej did you watch spring watch the other day when the mother owl tore apart her weakest baby to feed the others?! Horrible to watch but nature at its most barbaric and efficient I guess?!
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