The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: carl on October 05, 2009, 09:40:54 am
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I HAVE A PROBLEM.
The local Badger community have decided that my little smallholding is lovely place to visit. I am the local badger takeaway service. They have dug up a wasps nest, sending them crazy and after revenge. They have dug up my spuds. They have killed geese and chickens. They have eaten all the windfalls in the orchard. They have dug tunnels under and round my main chicken hut. They have destroyed so much fencing that I am getting fed up. My poor birds are stressed out and have stopped laying. I have fortified as well as I can afford and don't know my next move. How do I legally and ethically rid myself of this problem. There is a set further up the hill, which is the pride of the local ex townie brigade(badgers are harmless, lovely creatures nad farmers are liars and cruel). Also a set down in the woods. ( i also have foxes visiting and next doors jack russell killed two of my birds last week). My friend down the lane has had enough of the problem and is getting rid of all his birds, after having hundreds of all kinds over 25 years. he can't stand to see them being picked off, whatever we try to do to stop it. Can anyone suggest a sensible soloution, that does not involve me dealing with too many tree hugging dogooders. They have a point but i don't have the patience at the moment.
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Hi,
I sympathise with your problem and also understand the 'tree hugging badger lovers' ;)
For what I can gather, although they are protected, there are instances when exceptions are made
"Killing or taking, or attempting to kill or take, or injuring a badger during any of these actions, as necessary for the purpose of preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry, or any other form of property. This does not apply if it was apparent before that time that such action would be necessary, and a license had not been applied for, or an application had not been determined" that's taken from the badger act 1992.
Here's a website with lots more info http://www.badgerland.co.uk/animals/legal/legal1992.html (http://www.badgerland.co.uk/animals/legal/legal1992.html)
Incidentally, we have LOADS of them, but the only time we get them coming close is when we've no pigs (seems to be the same with foxes) but I don't know if this is purely coincidence.
Good luck !
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That is true, pigs do seem to deter them a bit.
I have looked at a few of these sites,but obviously they are biased towards the badger.( 250,00 years on these shores). I might try scarecrows and kiddies wind mills or shiny things. I have tried various electric fence setups, but I have to compromise these for access and kids etc. I will try putting a strand out last thing at night, and remove it in the morning. I am reluctant to cause them harm as I don't want a posse of badger watchers poking about. I may resort to putting my birds inside for winter, and only letting them out when I'm at home, but I don't think that is fair on the birds.
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Get a German Wirehaired pointer. I've explained in other posts about letting Hester out to roam alone at 11.30 every evening for half an hour. Chases most things away including foxes. Can't see badgers liking her either. Perhaps I should rent her out ;) Only problem is she attacks other dogs too.
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We have a big badger population here too. Although I have to say they have never bothered with my poultry (at least not yet).
I do sympathise, but not sure what you can do - I know people round here have been grumbling, but dare not do anything due to risking a big fine.
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We lost over 20 lambs this year to badgers and a few ewes as well, the lambs had there head's taken clean off and left where they where killed and the ewes had all there stomachs ripped clean open, we have had it before but many years ago, but this year was the worst, it seems when a badger crosses a field he has a strict path that he travels and wont deviate from it and anything in its way they seem to attack. I witnessed first hand him biting a lambs head clean off as it was lay on or very close to his path of travel. I'm certainly not anti badgers but there has to be a happy medium if they killed one or two lambs and ate them I wouldn't bother, we lose a certain percentage ever year, but to seemingly kill lambs for the sake of it the balance of nature had to be readdressed! There are things you can do, go and talk to your local farmer and buy him a pint..
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You are right about them sticking to a certain route - we have paths made through our fields by the badgers, and smaller paths made by the foxes too. Our neighbour was telling me, when he moved in to his house, he got out of the car one night, no outside light on, and said he felt something walk over his feet, looked down and it was a badger!!! I told him he must have been walking on its route, so it walked over him. He said he just froze, and it carried on its way quite unperturbed.
I have 20 plus farm cats here, kittens always around too. Never lost any of those to badgers, although I lost two elderly cats in separate incidents, and they were both at night, so maybe a badger took them. I know the cats are not bothered by foxes - cats sit waiting for the car at night, and in the headlights I have seen a fox sitting with them!!
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WOW - Nasty Badgers in the UK
We have badgers on the Mountain here. we see their tracks on the hilly road up to our farm all thetime, and see them out sometimes.
They have never attacked or taken anything from the farm, we have had pinemarten and mink kill stock, including a litter of piglets.
The only two problems I have had in relation to badgers are:-
1. Hitting one on the road by accident at night as it was running across the road - no damage to the Badger, it got up and ran off again - but my tyre and Wheel were stuffed!!! :o
2. Local Cattle and Lamb farmers putting poison out on rags, to kill the badgers, and my two beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniels ate the rags and died within hours - R.I.P. Max and Apache :'( :'( Still miss you both
(http://www.tullywoodfarm.com/images/max.jpg)(http://www.tullywoodfarm.com/images/apache.jpg)
Ruby's Daddy and Ruby's sister.
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We had a badger set here, however since the advent of the pigs they have packed up and left us. Since they have left we have more foxes, although again thanks to the pigs we are fairly ok.
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We had a badger set here, however since the advent of the pigs they have packed up and left us. Since they have left we have more foxes, although again thanks to the pigs we are fairly ok.
That must be why we don't have problems with them, we have pigs in the woods across the road and on our land - and always have 30-40 pigs - so maybe the badgers have sensitive noses and thats why they keep away ;D ;D ;D
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maybe pig poo is the way forward?
yesterday evening I spent two hours renewing fortification. electric netting and strands, a scarecrow and bright stuff on sticks. waste of time. they have been ignored and yet more damage. it did delay the badger though, and it did not get into the hut.
This is one determined badger, so I think I will resort to putting the birds in the stables for a while. I can then put improved fencing in as I have the time and money.
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Our land is heavily populated with rabbits in spite of our attempts to shot and trap them. On the land there are often rabbit remains - mainly skin and bones - from which we has assumed that they are being eaten by badgers. I am not sure if the badgers catch and kill them. The rabbits may be sick or injured so it isn't as unlikely as it sounds.
Isn't nature wonderful!
NN
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Wish we had trouble with rabbits - I think the mink and pinemartin kill them here.
Rabbit Stew - my favourite :yum: :yum: :yum: