The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Other => Topic started by: princesspiggy on December 14, 2010, 09:49:41 am

Title: short days
Post by: princesspiggy on December 14, 2010, 09:49:41 am

the sun rose over the hill at 9.15 this morning.(scotland) what time do let your chichens out, surely fox is still lurking in shadows?

Title: Re: short days
Post by: Rosemary on December 14, 2010, 09:57:38 am

Not after our dogs have raced all around barking and thrashing through the bushes  ;D

Title: Re: short days
Post by: tazbabe on December 14, 2010, 10:02:07 am

ditto above!

the dogs go out a couple of times from about half 5 onwards, and then i let the chooks out roughly between 8 and half past,

the collie dog refuses to come in the house after that, so no chance for mr foxy loxy to get a look in!

Title: Re: short days
Post by: Sudanpan on December 14, 2010, 07:02:12 pm

We have an automatic coop door so the hens get out at around 7.30am at the moment - but I don't let them out of their run until about 9.30am. Our dogs will have been out and about since 6.30am so all foxes are well out of the way by then  :)

Title: Re: short days
Post by: sabrina on December 17, 2010, 03:34:08 pm

with this weather mine stay in the barn anyway, there choice but when I do let them out on good days when they will venture out into the field I wait until around 10am when I will be mucking out stables and doing other jobs. They take themselves in by 3pm  :chook:

Title: Re: short days
Post by: oaklandspigs on January 04, 2011, 06:18:20 pm

Ditto the dogs keep the place relatively fox free during the day (firmly touching wood as I write this!)

Title: Re: short days
Post by: princesspiggy on January 05, 2011, 10:33:46 am

my dogs are going crazy at night. i let them out and theyre barking madly at something down the field, can only presume its a brave fox cos i cant see it, but it doesnt run away. its braver than my gsd and lab.

Title: Re: short days
Post by: ambriel on March 08, 2011, 08:13:13 pm

I usually let them out around 9am, either just before leaving for the school run or just after. They usually put themselves to bed around 6pm - I just have to shut the door.

The pigs and our terrier are probably enough to deter foxes during daylight but I know they cut through our land in the night because I've found their droppings.

Title: Re: short days
Post by: Beewyched on March 10, 2011, 07:47:39 pm

We have foxes & badgers around our holding during the hours of darkness, but they all disappear as soon as the dogs go out anytime from when it starts to get light - they wake us up at sunrise no matter what time it is  ::)

The chucks are very good at putting themselves to bed - they have a house in the yard, so Foxy & Badger stay pretty clear as the dogs are in & out a lot until we go to bed.

No casualties after a year so far, not even when they were not shut in overnight Christmas time when my OH was rushed to A&E.

 :pig: :chook: :dog: :bee: