The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: jameslindsay on July 26, 2009, 12:15:01 pm
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For the last few nights I have told you that my 2 geese have refused to go to bed and have stayed out all night on the river. This morning there is only 1 goose to be seen and he is not happy. However, I am pretty sure the other one has took off with his female friend the swan. Last year he disappeared for months with his lady friend and then came back one day quite the thing. From time to time the lone swan returns but he has always stayed put.Yesterday the lone swan appeared and today I am a goose missing. I feel that sorry for the one left as he is so miserable on his own.
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Posted this too soon, have just found the white feathers everywhere down by the river. Off to phone the exterminator to get this bloody fox once and for all. The one I have left is now too scared to come home, I can see him on the river. So, does anyone know of anyone selling 1 or 2 geese, I think I need to get asap.
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do you have mink on you river.
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do you have mink on you river.
No, apparantly the feathers are in a circle so that means fox! There was a mink on the river at one time we were told but sure its the bloody fox again!!!
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Maybe just as well you didn't buy anything yesterday. Or did you?
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Hi Rosemary, I bought 5 ducks yesterday and very nice they are too. However, because I had new additions none of the ducks were out in the garden or river anyhow, just as well. They are in their fenced off area with a large enough pond for them. This is where they will stay until we know the fox has been killed.
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so sorry to hear about your goose, James! Hope this gets sorted now, it's a nightmare! :&>
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8u66er!!!! exterminat! exterminate!
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I've just come home with my ex batts and Jim was telling me they ahve lost their peahen to a fox. She was sitting tight on a clutch of eggs and he is kicking himself now as he heard a commotion a few nights ago but didn't get out of bed, just looked out the window and thought she was just leading something away from her eggs. Now the peacock has left so they are desperately trying to find another peahen in the hope he's just hanging around and might come back. Blaady foxes!
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My goose has at last come off the river. He was so stressed though that he couldn't even hiss at me. After about 10 minutes he was able to hiss and is not injured at least. He is in beside the ducks with which the ducks are not happy nor the goose. I have managed to get a companion for him, but he won't be here till next week sometime. Unless he flies on to the river he won't be back out for a while with this fox going around.
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you can temporarily fence him off from the ducks with an unused badminton net and some stakes (portable fencing!). :&>
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Thanks Kerstin they all seem to be getting on ok just now - he is still very, very nervous and quite sad! We will be putting him into his own bed alone tonight as he is too big to share a bed with the Call Ducks. I must go get some pictures of the new arrivals.
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good he came home at least! Of course he's missing his companion and what a scare...
We'll all be sad here tomorrow (probably including the birds), hope it all will go as painless as possible... :&>
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Hope all goes well for you and the boys!!
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I'm already wavering, maybe I'll just take one...whichever I can catch first :&>
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If you aint comfortable with it Kerstin then don't do it - you will just punish yourself afterwards. I will hopefully see the young lad that re homed my boys through the week, I can ask him if his boss wants another 2??? I have no idea if he will or not but can try.
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I'll keep you posted tomorrow! :&>
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I let the lone goose out this morning but he did not want to be kept in so off to the water he went. He has been standing in the same spot for many hours now. Every so often he lets out s squack, I think he is calling trying to find his lost mate. I just hope we get the replacement in the next few days as promised as he is very, very lonely, sad and probably scared. It is sad to see him like this.
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Poor thing! lost his wife, is the new one younger and fitter! ;)
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aren't geese mates for life? maybe it was swans...Hope he will take to the new one! :&>
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I think swans do, Kerstin, but maybe other birds do too - I think Ospreys do, and herons. Maybe it doesn't matter so long as they have company of their own kind. I thought James said he was getting another male or maybe two?
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aren't geese mates for life? maybe it was swans...Hope he will take to the new one! :&>
I don't know to be honest but the 2 I had were both boys and so there hopefully won't be a problem with them getting on.
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Last night I collected my new Goose and so far the pair are getting on ok. Naturally the new arrival is very nervous and strange but there has been no fighting or aggression shown by either of them. I have kept them in a paddock of their own so they can't get onto the river. While I was collecting this goose I saw some Shetland Geese, very, very nice - smaller and much quieter so I have ordered 2 females. These are "auto sexed" geese so makes life easy.
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Fingers crossed James but what are auto sexed geese? Yet more for your family!!!! if they were all children you would look a lot more worn out and older than you do ;)
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Auto sexed mean they can be sexed almost at once I think. The males are white and the females white will big grey patches, quite lovely really.
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Very nice, I love geeses but...Not suitable here, great and ideal for where you are :)
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Did you see the 2 Hawaiin Geese at the Poultry Show in Saturday - they were beautiful and sold for just under £100?
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I saw them but didn't know what they went for - lovely bids though.
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Yes, I think we all had our eyes on those, so elegant!! £100 wow! money in them there birds :D
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Yesterday we sent off for 4 "Foxwatch" gadgets that are designed to keep away fox. They arrived today and we have set them up so with a bot of luck this will keep the buggers away! Time will tell.
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What do they do?
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What do they do?
Annie, this is the gumff that goes with the Foxwatch;
Concept Research Foxwatch Fox Deterrent
larger image £53.78
£37.67
1 Unit = £38.49
2 Units = £37.49 PerUnit
3 Units = £36.49 Per Unit
4 Units = £32.99 Per Unit
Motion sensor detects movement in the protected area. The unit triggers a 10 second ultrasonic burst, which will repeat untill the fox leaves the protected area. A red light behind the lens indicates that the Foxwatch unit has been triggered.
Unlike many pest deterrents that operate continuously Foxwatch waits for the animal to enter the protected area. Interanl sensor detects the crossing of a warm body in the field view. Powerful ultrasonic sound burst startles the animal. The fox learns that he or she is causing the unpleasant occurrence to happen every time the fox goes into the protected area and therefore stays away. The fox willl avoid the protected area.
Detection area;
Repelled by ultrasound alarm up to a distance of 60ft away. Range angle of 100º it will detect any movement and body heat within a radius fo 40ft. One unit helps to protect up to 1350sq.ft. (125sq.m)
Keep your family and home safe from the 5 'D- word' problems caused by foxes
They may look cute and playful but foxes, just like rats, are invasive vermin who will fearlessly 'home' in on any environment providing a rich food source with the following consequences -
DESTRUCTION
Every year foxes commit untold damage to thousands of homes and gardens not only by fouling and digging up bulbs and vegetables but by building their earths in and around sheds, cellars, decking, drains and houses or even drains or lofts. Given an open window or doorway they will brazenly steal not just food but any item that takes their eye including clothes and children's toys.
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Sounds very useful and inexpensive. Hope it solves your problem.
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Sounds great idea, hope you don't have to keep getting up and down at night though. We had a burgler alarm fitted (in another house) and it kept going off so we turned it off, when we were on holiday it was going off, my brother in law lived near and kept an eye on the house so went around the building with a big pice of wood only to bump into our neighbour comming around the other way, checking too!!!! :D
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Sandy the noise these machines makes is not heard by us humans. I checked before I bought that it is safe for the ducks, geese, ponies, goats, dogs and rabbit and was assured that it was. So there is no disturbance, hopefully only a fox free area. I did laugh on the pamphlet that accompanies each machine it says "warning, these machines are ineffective to deaf fox" ha ha ha.
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fingrs crossed you fox is not hard of hearing ;D
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Both geese have now been enjoying their freedom and access to the river for a few days now and funnily enough it is the new one that comes home much more than the old one. Both wee buggers stayed out all night last night which I don't like but can't do anything when they are on the river. They have reported in this morning though.