➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[ShrekDawg]

This is so interesting!!

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/7575...-squirrels-eavesdrop-on-birds-researchers-say

Forgot to add:

And I already suspected as much. The chickens do the same exact thing. So funny watching them stand like statues under a bush whenever they hear or see a hawk or anything


And of course I’ve seen many bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, etc. all do it. Even seen the song birds react when the crows are divebombing a hawk! Very cool to watch.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I wonder if any part of it has to do with the misconception that chickens are herbivores.
I overheard a conversation recently where two people were discussing how horrendous it was to feed a chicken eggs. They thought it was cannibalism, they really were disgusted.
I wonder what they’d think of me feeding the entire carcass of my culled rooster back to my hens. Lmao.

Bones, you are a literal angel. I do believe you just did half of my research paper for me.
But seriously this is fascinating, I will ask my prof on Friday if this is a valid research topic. Thank you so much.

And wow, the research done by your classmates is awesome! Thank you for sharing, I’m bookmarking ALL the things right now!

I do believe that is definitely a big part of it!! People do think chickens are herbivores, perhaps because they are usually kept in cages inside and never have the chance to eat real food, but they’re definitely not herbivores! And I think I read chickens are actually the closest related to dinosaurs lol

They’re little velociraptors!!

That said, I can’t quite do the whole “feeding the chickens chicken” thing....

I’m not opposed to feeding them meat and have fed them other meats before, even other poultry like turkey, etc., but just something about feeding them chicken feels wrong to me.

Nothing against people who do that though btw!! I don’t have a problem with other people doing it and I don’t think they’re psychos or anything

I just..... can’t.

It’s ridiculous maybe, it’s just meat and the chickens don’t know the difference, but I can’t make myself cross that line haha maybe one day I can though.

But mine are also pets and I’ve also buried chickens I’ve lost and cried over them soooo.....

Maybe I’m just too soft

Aaaaaaannnnnyyyyyyyywaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy, I think this is a really great topic and I am sure your professor will find it fascinating!!!

 

[Kiki]

Poor Bomber!
Bless your hearts for taking care of him so well, what a lucky fella. He’s gonna have a pretty great life one way or another.

What a handsome boy! I love him! And congrats on those teeth falling out, that’s a huge relief. No shark kitty for you.

Triumph has a similar face.
That’s his “you’ve been taking pictures for way too long without any payment scratches and it’s getting kinda awkward” look.

I'm playing catch up.

Spoiler: Answers

 

[debid]

Handsome lads!

Also I had never heard that term before and had to look it up

Maybe I just don’t read enough! LOL should have guessed from the picture though. But around here they usually just call them identical or fraternal haha
...

They don't like to be called "identical". It implies sameness and they are definitely individuals. They're actually mirrored, too, which I think is even weirder.

 

[Kiki]

I wonder how many people are ignorant enough they dont understand the fraction 1/2

Okay so of course i couldnt choose just one

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I love these kids.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They don't like to be called "identical". It implies sameness and they are definitely individuals. They're actually mirrored, too, which I think is even weirder.

That makes total sense!! I never really thought of it like that tbh.

Smart kids!!

And wow that’s so interesting!! Is that rare?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I love these kids.

X2!!

 

[NanaKat]

That is awesome! So nice of you to take care of them like that! poor guy must have been pretty far from home! How do you tell if they’re lost or just stopping by? I mean, obviously in his case it was pretty obvious he was very far and tired, but with the others? I’d be tempted to “rescue” them all and probably do more harm than good hah not steal them of course, find the owners or whatever, but probably unnecessary as most probably find their way home on their own?

We have never had pigeons in our barn so if a single or a few show up, they usually have leg bands indicating they are homing pigeons on a flight. The grizzle's owner said that that bird might even make our place a regular stop on his flight pattern since he stayed so long and received good care. Haven't seen him since.
A homing pigeon is rarely lost unless there has been a storm or a frightening attack by a hawk.
So when one shows up, I always set out food and water high up above my birds even though the homers would get down on the ground with my poultry.
I really don't want them mixing very long with my birds. Most breeders of homers take really good care of theirs, but the grizzle was covered with feather mites. Once caught, he was housed separated in a private cage away from my birds. He was the last bird to be tended each day. Didn't want any possible contamination.

They're big kittens!

I looked and Ziggy was 5#3oz at 15 weeks. At least, I think 15 weeks. I went with the 1st shelter's estimate for my log rather than the vet's (younger) date because I presume an estimate made at 5 weeks is more accurate than one made at 11. Plus, I have reason to believe he was born in foster care so their date may be the actual day.

@NanaKat I can't remember, do youhave access to the parents to know what size they ended up?

Yes, they are growing quickly! The previous owner made an early morning delivery of six 6 week old kittens covered in fleas stuffed in a small cardboard box addressed to the vet. She found the box when she opened her clinic. She put out an adoption notice on social media after innoculating them and treating for the fleas.
So no history on the parents. Piebald is not a well known color variation here according to our vets when I took them in for their 12 week shots.

I have a super accurate digital kitchen scale. It's not easy to weigh a cat on it (I use a container and tare method with a lot of patience!) It's good up to 25#, I think?

Our previous barn cat Sparkle took down a grown rabbit at least once, I found her in the driveway eating it around midnight. She wasn't a big cat at all! But, she knew how to kill an animal quickly. I had the great luck of seeing her catch a mouse once. She was still, then miraculously airborne, then had it pinned. There was no playing, she just dispatched them immediately and off with their heads. That was the cat that was dumped with a flea collar and no ID so we knew nothing at all about her other than she seemed to need a home.

I have a nice big digital scale I use in soap making. I set a bucket on it, zeroed out the weight of the bucket and put each kitten in for weighing. When I weight live birds, I use a paper grocery bag as the container.

When we got him he was Ferocious!
....
This guy was at the apartment complex my ex worked at and everyone knew it was this coworkers cat he jus got tired of it and put him out. Wasnt feeding him or anything and the ex really liked him. So i told him he could have the cat as long as he got him fixed. He did and then he moved out and i was glad to keep the cat. Wasnt cute walkin in the vets office saying, "im here to pick up D*ck"

Moral of the story, even if your a crazy twenty something and its been 10 barren years since you know that Drs told u you cant have children, dont name a pet an inappropriate name, it doesnt work out well.

Younger brother names his first cat Her Pees because she would pee in the corner instead of her litter tray. Took him the longest time to break that habit.
Payback came when an old college buddy asked him "Do you still have Herpes?" in a crowded swanky restaurant in Marina Del Rey where they were meeting some blind dates.
Took some explaining....

I used to know a guy with a dog his dad had named sh*tbird. It was so awkward calling the dog. So, as funny as it is in the moment to give a pet a name like that, it should be a nickname only so people at the vet's office don't stare.

And Sparkle cat was a true gift. We weren't even considering a cat when she showed up and made it clear she was interested in staying. Hubby (Mr. No Cats) was the one who ran to the store for cat food after discovering that she liked our big dog just fine and would tolerate toddlers picking her up and lugging her around. She was tortoiseshell with white socks, chin, and blaze. A really cute cat.

And after she passed, the mouse population skyrocketed. We're HOPING Ziggy can be of assistance. I've tried many types of trap and always have several set up but the problem never ceases.

For sure!
Sparkle sounds like a beautiful furr baby.
That is why we got Hazel and Pomme Tom...to help the black snake in the barn to minimize the mouse population.

 

[Kiki]

@mixedUPturk Mine are the monozygotic kind of twins.
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Mr. Orange

 

[NanaKat]

@KDOGG331 pray tell what are you getting inspected?


Caught up....now going out to feed and water all my birds.
No one spontaneously combust....