The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: john and helen on June 23, 2014, 01:33:24 pm

Title: One very lucky little hen
Post by: john and helen on June 23, 2014, 01:33:24 pm

6am this morning, i heard hell of a noise from the chicken pen, only to see a bloody seagull after my little young banty,
the banty, ended up in the duck pond, being attacked by the seagull…after lobbing a few things at the seagull it flew off, just managed to get the little one out of the water….thought we where going to loose her, with an hour sitting on a luke warm hot water bottle, i managed to bring her round…. :thumbsup:

I've just knocked up a pen for her …seagull proof…she has made a complete recovery
that was one very lucky little hen

(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee62/johningham/DSCF0777_zpsb74bd6f0.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/johningham/media/DSCF0777_zpsb74bd6f0.jpg.html)

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Clarebelle on June 23, 2014, 01:59:00 pm

Bloody seagulls are a menace. We don't have foxes here but the seagulls will kill lambs and take eggs/chicks. I think you should be able to shoot them like you could a crow

So glad you managed to save your little hen  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Fleecewife on June 23, 2014, 02:19:33 pm

Thank you for that happy story  :sunshine: :sunshine: :chook:

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Bionic on June 23, 2014, 02:33:01 pm

Good job you were around John

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: john and helen on June 23, 2014, 03:37:06 pm

yea..we have only just returned from a weekend in wales, our neighbour has been looking after the girls,
this little one arrived via a friend last thursday, she is a little beauty,

i wish i could shoot the bloody gulls, they are a complete pest, they dive bomb the children  , as the bloody things nest on all the roof tops….

i can't wait until we move on to the holding……at least there , there will be no nesting gulls

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: doganjo on June 23, 2014, 04:40:01 pm

Try a cut-out of a Bird of Prey,  Friend of mine clears hangars with his hawks and has sometimes left an image on a  rooftop if he is going to be a while getting back.

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Lesley Silvester on June 23, 2014, 05:23:20 pm

Glad you managed to save her. Gulls are a menace. I know several people who have had food stolen from their hands by gulls and their beaks hurt.

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on June 23, 2014, 05:27:39 pm

Absolutely correct. My father was walking with a sandwich, on his lunch break, and a seagull snatched it right out of his hand. I wish you could be allowed to kill them, if you're protecting your livestock. :thinking:

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Ina on June 23, 2014, 05:36:27 pm

And there's still people who feed them... ::) (But then there's people who feed foxes, too!)

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: john and helen on June 23, 2014, 09:12:33 pm

a friend of ours runs a bird of prey centre, he lent me a hawk decoy….seems to be working..i have ordered two tonight

little chid, who i have now named lucky chid, is back to normal  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Lesley Silvester on June 23, 2014, 09:54:21 pm

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: Porterlauren on June 26, 2014, 10:02:58 pm

Glad the bantam is ok!

Lesser Black Backed Gulls are on the General Licence for England, so if it's one of those . . . . . fire away!

Title: Re: One very lucky little hen
Post by: chrismahon on June 27, 2014, 07:04:24 am

Years ago in Felixstowe the locals used to throw bits of mustard sandwich into the air for the Gulls. Apparently when eaten the mustard reacts violently with their guts and they literally explode. They got wise to that and stopped taking it in the air. They waited until it landed on the floor and then went to inspect it. Smart birds.