tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post8353483006235075131..comments2024-03-26T11:27:35.814-07:00Comments on Tom Stephenson: Foxes are foxes, chickens are chickensUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-28396276688539072452012-07-25T07:18:02.522-07:002012-07-25T07:18:02.522-07:00Yes, i got a few photos.
http://whycantmeganblog...Yes, i got a few photos. <br /><br />http://whycantmeganblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/guess-who-came-to-brunch.html <br /><br />It shows him licking the suet feeder, but he drained the bird feeder of all seed, and there weren't many left on the ground after he had gone.megan blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555646904983619596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-75921776166293117182012-07-24T11:36:33.853-07:002012-07-24T11:36:33.853-07:00Bears eating bird-seed? And I thought my neighbou...Bears eating bird-seed? And I thought my neighbour's tits looked a bit peeky. They love my fat balls in the winter, though.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-6443699324942409902012-07-24T11:27:14.063-07:002012-07-24T11:27:14.063-07:00I do not keep chickens. Mr P, an elderly gent who ...I do not keep chickens. Mr P, an elderly gent who was our next door neighbour until recently, kept some. A coyote got in and killed them (he later found a weak part in the fence that the animal had bursted through), and after a time being henless, he got a few more.<br /><br />I've not seen many foxes here, although i know they're around. When the bear stopped by to eat the birdseed, i thought it best to stop feeding the birds in summer.<br /><br />I think there are a fair number of folks who try looking after livestock as best they know how. Some are very successful, and some are not. It's sometimes due to a lack of knowledge or skill, but there are those other times where one is simply unlucky--not realising there was a weak spot in the fence, or as the case with a former neighbour, finding a red-talied hawk caught on the roofing of the henhouse. The dogs were salivating at the thought of taking out a hawk. The foxes were glad the dogs were otherwise occupied. Humans freed the hawk who flew away chickenless, and the human who lived there went in the henhouse to collect the eggs. tra-la-la.megan blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555646904983619596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-61856278164463186992012-07-24T03:57:26.329-07:002012-07-24T03:57:26.329-07:00Yes, some things are complex, others are pretty si...Yes, some things are complex, others are pretty simple. There are various ways of stopping foxy from eating your chickens, and most of them are pretty simple - including Cro's method of leaving the barn door open, assuming there any barns left that haven't been converted into second homes by middle-class chicken-fanciers.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-69638121680681996092012-07-24T03:50:41.023-07:002012-07-24T03:50:41.023-07:00I meant given the choice between scratching around...I meant given the choice between scratching around on one side of a large fence, or the other side of a large fence with a fox lurking - that's if they are capable of making a choice. Bear in mind that - for a short period - they used chickens as homing devices for guided missiles, when they trained them to peck at screens for a handful of grain.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-44734882444227134892012-07-24T03:48:42.980-07:002012-07-24T03:48:42.980-07:00The complexities of views held by people when seen...The complexities of views held by people when seen close up are fascinating.<br /><br />Me, I'm vegetarian. (I posted about this a while ago: http://dominicrivron.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/vegetable-matters.html ). However, it used to cross my mind that I might contemplate eating animals I'd reared and slaughtered myself.Dominic Rivronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02618013365521035400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-87120400800839942082012-07-24T03:47:27.741-07:002012-07-24T03:47:27.741-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dominic Rivronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02618013365521035400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-91713671204065097252012-07-24T01:30:26.471-07:002012-07-24T01:30:26.471-07:00bollocksbollocksJohn Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-63028450303637960142012-07-24T01:22:26.334-07:002012-07-24T01:22:26.334-07:00When ours were literally 'free range' they...When ours were literally 'free range' they were fine. They roosted anywhere they fancied in our huge barn, and Mr Renard dined elsewhere!Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-42052223395776208282012-07-24T00:52:29.998-07:002012-07-24T00:52:29.998-07:00Oh, and the sport of pigeon-shooting serves a good...Oh, and the sport of pigeon-shooting serves a good purpose, since your average flock of pigeons can strip a wheat-field in 24 hours, and pigeons taste quite nice as well - unlike foxes.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-77654834241285861222012-07-24T00:47:04.966-07:002012-07-24T00:47:04.966-07:00As a footnote to this post, I ought to add that yo...As a footnote to this post, I ought to add that your average land-owner encourages the age-old and simplistic country belief that foxes will always outwit humans, because of one plainly obvious conflict of interest.<br /><br />Pheasant-shoots have to release all the birds into the open, otherwise they would not be able to shoot them in the autumn. Pheasants are even more stupid than chickens, preferring to walk when they can fly perfectly well - it takes beaters to get them into the air for the sake of the guns.<br /><br />Up in Scotland, they would have you believe that the moors and glens are teeming with hawks which need 'controlling', for the same reasons concerning grouse.<br /><br />Foxes would survive very well on the millions of rabbits infesting the British Isles (despite mixy) if they could not get into chicken-runs, but foxes are currently suffering from rampant mange, and dying because they cannot receive the simple treatment given to domestic dogs.<br /><br />Town foxes are doing quite well because of domestic rubbish and takeaways, as are Red-Kites. Whichever way you look at it, the interface between humans and the rest of nature plays a massive part in the imbalance of countryside fauna.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-57429275805408378762012-07-24T00:28:47.171-07:002012-07-24T00:28:47.171-07:00Sorry to be pedantic, but Reynard could not have k...Sorry to be pedantic, but Reynard could not have killed the whole run-full of 'well-protected' hens. That would have been oxymoronic.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-75956152152111064072012-07-24T00:25:32.696-07:002012-07-24T00:25:32.696-07:00He hasn't given up on the idea of running for ...He hasn't given up on the idea of running for PM again - he must think we're gluttons for punishment.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-30103172395761074622012-07-24T00:23:54.194-07:002012-07-24T00:23:54.194-07:00I have looked after chickens in the past, and they...I have looked after chickens in the past, and they were in a high-fenced, Auschwitz-type enclosure for their own good. Occasionally one would make it over the top, then spend the rest of the day trying to get back in until I launched it over. The only predators we had to contend with were magpies pinching eggs, but after we had filled a couple of them with mustard, they didn't bother. 'Free-range' is a good idea for humans, but I think - given the choice - most chickens would prefer to be couped up.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-81483307362828118952012-07-23T22:01:55.262-07:002012-07-23T22:01:55.262-07:00M Renard killed a whole bloody run-full of my well...M Renard killed a whole bloody run-full of my well protected hens back in about 1975. I've only just started keeping them again. At the time my neighbour suggested I use the local fox catching method (no fox hunting here). I won't go into details but it involved tying a long piece of strong fishing line to a tree, a large hook, and a lump of old meat. I DID NOT follow his advice; I just stayed henless.Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-27197157565566673022012-07-23T16:11:30.591-07:002012-07-23T16:11:30.591-07:00Tony fucking Blair
I always called him that too.Tony fucking Blair<br /><br />I always called him that too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-81486559529103187102012-07-23T15:13:15.471-07:002012-07-23T15:13:15.471-07:00if a fox gets INTO a run yes it will kill EVERYTHI...if a fox gets INTO a run yes it will kill EVERYTHING<br />thats why it is useful not to always keep your hens in an enclosed space....and never cut the wing feathers of a free range hen.... they can't fly to escape,.....<br />god I am boring myself nowJohn Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-11161095955106062602012-07-23T15:04:04.438-07:002012-07-23T15:04:04.438-07:00Well, I would be interested to know what you think...Well, I would be interested to know what you think - as a chicken keeper - I just do not understand about this age-old and (to my eyes) black and white situation? It really isn't rocket-science, as far as I am aware. <br /><br />If the fox is allowed access to the chickens, it will come back every day - as it has been doing for hundreds or thousands of years - and take one away with it.<br /><br />A poor attempt to deny access to the whole flock will mean - and you know this is true - that it will kill the ENTIRE flock, then go away with one, or maybe two. That's just what they do, when humans fuck it all up.<br /><br />I have to go to bed now (very early start!) so don't be surprised at no further comments from me until the morning.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-39995341493465992442012-07-23T14:58:26.446-07:002012-07-23T14:58:26.446-07:00I'm for hunting with dogs. When a bad shot ca...I'm for hunting with dogs. When a bad shot cannot keep up with a wounded animal, the dogs surely can - like the retrievers.<br /><br />The only hunting with dogs that I really approved of banning altogether was stag-hunting, which involved running a healthy animal - designed for sprints - down, until it could run no longer. That was truly despicable, and a very bad use of dogs.<br /><br />I might start training up a young fox to get chickens for me - more exciting than going to the supermarket, and having to chain it up outside, but not any cheaper, I think.Tom Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979590950587415840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-6440403743286108382012-07-23T14:53:31.298-07:002012-07-23T14:53:31.298-07:00I deleted my post... not because I disagreed with ...I deleted my post... not because I disagreed with tom that much....I actually dont...<br />it's just not all that black and white<br />as life has a tendency to be<br />hey hoJohn Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-30054192888562143232012-07-23T14:50:31.530-07:002012-07-23T14:50:31.530-07:00I'm for hunting with horse and hound. I think ...I'm for hunting with horse and hound. I think it is no worse than gun hunting. Not every duck/bird falls dead out of the sky. It can take minutes to catch up with the bird while flopping wounded until shot again.<br /><br />But, to the hen house thing, if a fox is smarter than a chicken keeper,...well, he'll eat well.Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06497874766764411664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505385214324438018.post-16700368104134966962012-07-23T14:36:53.764-07:002012-07-23T14:36:53.764-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.John Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.com