The Unofficial Picture Heavy Wildlife Thread.

[Feltwell]

I think I may have found someone who beats even Joce for her liking of chickens......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6960334.stm

 

[Flyfisher]

"A woman from Cwmbran, Torfaen took out a bank loan and lived on beans on toast for a year to pay £1,800 in vet bills after her pet chicken injured its leg." :shock:

Better to have lived on the chicken for a couple of days and saved the £1800. :lol:

That's easy to say, of course, but we once spent £650 on veterinary care for a cat, despite being told it would almost certainly die. Which it did. I put it all down to Mrs FF being 6 months pregnant at the time, causing hard-headed financial logic to be trumped by hormonally-scrambled emotions (and that was just me :wink: ).

 

[Feltwell]

I do confess I did once take an injured chicken to the vet after it had been attacked by a fox. £10 for some stitches in a wound was slightly more bearable than £1800 though!

I dread to think what I spent at the vets over time on my old dog - when it gets to the point that they recognise your voice when you call without you giving your name, that's when you know you're a regular!

 

[Flyfisher]

I opened the door this morning to be greeted by this little critter. Not so little actually, I've never seen a grass snake this large. It was about two inches wide at its thickest point. It was bad-tempered too, understandedly so I suppose, and made an awful lot of loud hissing noise when I went to pick it up and move it back to the grass - a strategy that worked well as it quickly put me off!

I then managed to pick it up with a garden cane but it decided to grab and entwine itself around the bench, but a little more encouragement soon had it on its way. Good job the cat didn't find it first though.

 

[Penners]

it decided to grab and entwine itself around the bench

Grass snake? That's a boa constrictor if ever I saw one (which I didn't).

 

[LadyArowana]

Quite a respectable size creature. I am glad you moved him along safely even though he was grumpy.

 

[philpjuk100]

Had a lovely white chicken,very friendly,followed you about,would eat from your hand,my wife named her "bella" she was attacked by a stray staffy terrier,feathers everywhere,the dog carried her away.That evening she limped home dragging her wing behind her,she survived the night and we took her to the vet the next day who said she was too badly injured to save and put her down,that cost £25,the hen cost £5,I know its not £1600 but still seems a lot.Now keep an air rifle to hand in case the dog returns!

 

[JoceAndChris]

FF - that's a very nice snake you've got there.

Phil - sorry to hear about your lovely white chicken.

I'm not taking chickens to vets, home remedies or death is the choice I'm afraid.

The cat has cost around £3000 in vets' bills though over the years, generally when he feels he requires a £400 sliver of chicken. (tip- don't take cat to vet in Highgate on Day 1 of vomiting unless you have a spare £1000 or are insured)

 

[philpjuk100]

Took her to the vet in the hope he could stitch her up (we were very fond of her) and were willing to pay for this but it was not to be.If we had realised this we would not have put her through the stress of the trip to the vet and she would have been dispatched at home.RIP bella.

 

[Flyfisher]

Quite a respectable size creature. I am glad you moved him along safely even though he was grumpy.

I know many people don't like snakes but I wouldn't dream of harming such a wonderful creature. I only wanted to move it back into the undergrowth to avoid an encounter with the cat, otherwise I'd have left it completely alone. It certainly put on a good show of coiling up and hissing!

Sorry to hear about Bella, Phil. We lost two of our hens to a local dog soo after getting them; our fault I suppose for letting them roam completely free back then, but it does annoy me that people will let their dogs run free when walking them. We've since fenced them in and have not had any more incidents. However, we've not gone quite as far as naming any of them, even though three (of the six) will happily eat from our hands.

Anyway, after seeing Joce's newly named brood, I don't feel I have a sufficiently classical background to dare name them. :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Neither did I, but knew the kind people on PPUK would help me out, and now Stymph's happily playing with Bo, and Hip's asleep on Lanty.

I sympathise hugely with the whole dog/chicken thing, as you know, and have created Fort Knox for my lot.

I'm getting pretty good at DIY vetinary stuff if I do say so myself, and can unblock a crop, disinfect and keep a wound clean, treat for vermin or pests and (usually) solve behaviour problems.

I'd have no problems stitching a wound, I guess it's just getting hold of the right kind of thread. Must ask bro in law, who staples stomachs for a living these days.

Still very jealous of your snake sighting, FF!

 

[worms]

I guess it's just getting hold of the right kind of thread

The cat has cost around £3000 in vets' bills

Now I wonder how could you ever find a source of catgut?

 

[Penners]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[philpjuk100]

:

I sympathise hugely with the whole dog/chicken thing, as you know, and have created Fort Knox for my lot.

Our ladies are still "free range"and wander over our end of the village,they have friends(and a boyfriend) next door but one,the neibour inbetween is not hen friendly but we used to bribe him with eggs until the chucks found a new "secret" route! Its a bit embarasing eating your sunday lunch in the local pub and looking out of the window to see your chickens "gardening" in the planters outside! phil.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I'm getting pretty good at DIY vetinary stuff if I do say so myself, and can ... (usually) solve behaviour problems.

Oh god - you haven't bought the chickens a psychiatrist's couch from eBay have you?

:lol:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Nice snake FF - I've only ever seen adders, which one is less willing to poke with a cane!

 

[LadyArowana]

Its a bit embarasing eating your sunday lunch in the local pub and looking out of the window to see your chickens "gardening" in the planters outside! phil.

I guess that there isn't a Chinese take-away in your village!

 

[philpjuk100]

No, no chinese but I probably had the "sunday roast" chicken (shush dont tell the ladies!)

 

[MdB]

Our new resident (An 11 year old called "Hermann Two Ns"):

His shell isn't very well formed due to lack of calcium and he has just had a nose job to cure an overhanging beak but otherwise seems to be fine and is very active.

 

[Penners]

Our new resident (An 11 year old called "Hermann Two Ns")

11 already? Only 100 or so years to go, then.