How adorable was Oscar.Teila .... so loved your story about your much loved departed Charlie-Bear. And I so understand you not getting over the loss of her. You probably never will - I am sad to say. But I do know that sense of deep loss of a loved pet ... it never leaves. I believe your lovely dog was 'mothering' the baby. Your story ( tearfully ) reminded me of my dear sweet little Oscar cat. The gentlest cat soul in the world. Heard a terrible ruckus in the back garden one day - all cats ( 4 of them ) were outside playing. And on the ground, a very young just out of the nest, baby black bird. The parents were going off their heads, and dive bombing the cats - which kept my two Burmese busy trying to catch them ( with absolutely NO success thank heaven ). Black cat Felix had retired to quieter regions. Oscar was under the magnolia tree. The little darling bird staggered towards him, and he picked up the bird in his mouth. () .... Now - I had NEVER taught those 4 cats to retrieve or return ( had taught just one previously ) .... but I called Oscar over to me with some sixth sense that he might come, and he did - and he simply deposited that young fledgling into my hand so willingly and gently - it had not a mark of injury on it. A cat ??? doing that ??? I was amazed and very tearful as I received the little soul, transported him back to his frantic parents into the front garden, away from my two nutty leaping Burmese. The baby bird would have stood no chance with them. The parents took over - away from danger and I herded up the cats indoors. But I will never forget that. Here is a photo of my darling Oscar - who passed away at the age of 16 years, from cancer.
And an image I did up in Paint Shop Pro 8, to be framed - after he passed away - it is sooo much 'him' :
I agree with everyone else you don't get over their loss but you never forget how wonderful they were either. They will always hold a special place in your heart.
I am ever mindful even with my grand daughters especially as he is so big he could accidently hurt chicks or kids. When the girls play ball with my 2 teens still at home I lock bear around the side of the house because he gets in with them and flies around. I seem to be the only one Bear will take seriously and do as he's told.
Bear pushes the bottom of the gate till he bends it and it opens it a little as the silkies are only 8 wks old they can fit through small gaps. On our patio door he worked out if he bumps the latch with his nose and pushes the door with his paw it will open. The side gate he actually pulled the post off the wall it was screwed into, he has pulled pickets off to get to the kids when they are playing. Now I sit with him and make him settle when they are playing its not worth the damage trying to keep him out. But he is very patient when they want cuddles he will sit for the girls and he is very careful. I think he just wants company especially since Shadow our other dog died. But we found our youngest son is allergic to animal hair so he can't come into the house.
satay your babies are beautiful. I want some more chicks but hubby says we have enough at the moment. Haha never enough.
I've been offer a D'uccle roo not sure if they make alot noise or not and then I will have to get females. Should I take him or not. Please help me.
Good morning folks
Thank you all for you kind words about Charlie-Bear; she was special. Because we rent, I had her cremated so that she would not be buried in what could end up being someone else’s backyard; she will always be with me in more ways than one
Thanks for the tip on the nest box door potato chip, it is probably going to open sideways.
Beautiful girls Sam and Deej211!
LuckysMum I have also read good and bad things about DE and made a decision to steer clear.
At Fancy’s recommendation, I also use Yates ‘Success’ and Woolies Homebrand Surface Spray.
I do not get itchy when reading about bugs on line but after going through the nightmare which was a major lice infestation; just the slightest tingle on my skin when working near the coop has me reaching for my glasses
Chook Newby your girls are adorable … looks like they have plans for a girls night in
Anniebee aaaw, poor Miss Ruby; I hope you are able to find out what is making her itchy. We had to be very stringent with Charlie-Bear’s flea treatment; she was allergic to them and it only took a couple of bites for her to break out. With her epilepsy, pancreatitis and flea allergy, she was a favourite at the Vets
Hey, never apologise for giving great advice; I appreciate the input. The timber we are using is tongue in groove which should allow for expansion, it is going to be angled for run off and also sealed.
Update on the build … the girls should love it! Now I have seen the floor size, they are going to have heaps of room
The frame for the slide out floor is pretty much done; just need to put the slats on and seal it. We have the posts for the uprights and while I am working on site on Thursday, hubby is off to Bunnings to get enough materials to keep us busy over the Easter Weekend
Morning MyHaven!
Morning MyHaven!
Thank you, they are lovely. I think you may be right! I let them out when I get home after work every afternoon. They run/fly straight around to the French doors and wait for me to open them... Although I know I should not be encouraging them to come inside, I just find them fasinating. My dogs are not phased even when they are eating their dinner and the chookies come for a little peak at what is in their food bowls.
Thanks Teila! That photo was only taken on Saturday last weekend. Blueberries are a favourite in our house, not just with the humans living there LOL! The dogs always sit up straight when I have blueberries on offer and 'Polly' has learnt very quickly to do the same. She has no quarms about snatching them from the dogs either! And.... they are alot cheaper then dog treats and better for everyone
Thanks Satay! I think they are lovely too and I just love their fluffy butts! Yes I gently shoo them back towards the door when they head towards the carpet... my dogs are very much inside dogs and have free range of the house but the chookies don't and won't..... no poo on my carpet please
So far I've only found mites in one coop, but nonetheless I have sprayed and cleaned out all of the coops. Mites live on the blood of the host and run the birds health down effecting egg production and left untreated will ultimately kill the bird. I've had 2 unexplained deaths of late , both silkies and they are much harder to inspect than other breeds.. The mites are minuscule and unless they are on mass , very difficult to see. We've had warmer weather than usual and the nasty little critters are thriving as a result. Rats , mice and sparrows visiting the coops spread the mites and lice from pen to pen.
Mites are a real threat to the flock as visiting wild birds can introduce disease such as mareks, and mycoplasma via the spread of these little bloodsuckers.
Treatment has to be thorough. Remove all loose litter and bedding from the coops, spray the entire coop with a pyrethrum based product , there are many on the market but I find that the woollies home brand surface spray to be just as effective, at a fraction of the cost. The birds too need to be sprayed , I find that just before dawn is best. It's less disruptive to the birds and it means that they don't have long before they can get out in the sun to dry off.
