Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Anniebee]

Lol, I'd be inclined to leave it in the pen for a few days and give them time to get used to the big orange thing. Might keep them entertained for a while too.

LOL .... but wouldn't that attract nasties / bugs / bacteria etc.? .... You already know I am a total tragic with it all.

Will try it again and leave large bits next time - over a few days - see what happens.

Thanks again Fancy .......

Cheers. .....

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

It is fairly common for magpies to nest toward the middle / end of July.    Amazed me when I first realised that, years ago.    Nests swaying in wild winds and freezing temps.   But they come through eventually.   Always believed it was a "Spring" thing.  

Father Magpie develops THE most beautiful plumage to attract his permanent mate / wife - with whom he stays for as long as either or both of them live.

Not at all surprised at nesting now - it is ( thankfully ) almost normal - which makes me feel a bit better about all the 'we are doomed' messages that come from climate change advocates, and climate change deniers.    

At least the maggies might have their act together.   Last year there was little in the way of new babies from magpies, which I found slightly alarming.   Maybe this year ( and our new male is doing his thing in building a nest with his  mate - across the road ) .... will be closer to the mark for us all ?   

One can only hope. 

Cheers ......... 

I've actually never noticed Maggies nesting in my area...maybe they have and I'm too ignorant, or perhaps a bit down the road. But minor birds ALWAYS nest in our trees. AND swoop us! So annoying. Anyways, the baby Maggies are cute, I can tell them from the grey instead or bright white colouring, with the black, hanging out with their parents.

 

[Anniebee]

I've actually never noticed Maggies nesting in my area...maybe they have and I'm too ignorant, or perhaps a bit down the road. But minor birds ALWAYS nest in our trees. AND swoop us! So annoying. Anyways, the baby Maggies are cute, I can tell them from the grey instead or bright white colouring, with the black, hanging out with their parents.

Sunny ....... I have never ever seen a mynah bird / birds nesting - not anywhere, that I have lived. They seem to be just 'there' somehow, and I couldn't even define a juvenile mynah if I tried ( many spellings seen for that breed of bird - weird and confusing ). Don't know if 'mynah' is even correct ???

Love baby magpies, and how they are taught how to live by their parents. They are mostly all grey as you mentioned, and grow to be bigger than their parents at one stage - while the poor parents reduce in size and weight because they are so busy feeding the hungry little blighters. But it all works out - such is the amazing cycle of nature.

Love to hear the calling of baby cockatoos as well - which is a very strange strangled kind of sound. Visitors to our home, have often commented "how do you put up with that rucus " ? .... Very easy to listen to .. love it.

Cheers .........

 

[Coram]

Do you use a fox light? We don't have foxes here, but do have a family of dingoes on an adjoining property, however, no problems at all since the fox light was installed inside the main pen. 

Yes, I have tried fox lights, with limited success. I may have to move them about more regularly for them to have a better effect. The best deterrent so far is me present on the property, and working the paddocks. We have a HUGE male on the spur above our small farm, and his vixen dens in the 8 acres of bush at the back of our place.

 

[Anniebee]

Yes, I have tried fox lights, with limited success. I may have to move them about more regularly for them to have a better effect. The best deterrent so far is me present on the property, and working the paddocks. We have a HUGE male on the spur above our small farm, and his vixen dens in the 8 acres of bush at the back of our place.

Had never heard of fox lights, so had to look them up, via Google !! Good luck with however you manage them.

Your huge male .... hubby has seen a fox as big as a German Shepherd on his way to work - ( and on the way home to his den for the fox I presume ) .... at around 4 a.m. I honestly didn't think a fox could get so big. ? But apparently they do.

Um ... er ... would a scarecrow do any good ? If you haven't got a dog that is. Dog droppings are a good deterrent.

Saw a couple of big wedge tails today flying above, locked up the chooks immediately, and will tomorrow create a scarecrow.

If I am game enough, I will post a photo of it when finished. !!!

Have more than enough stuff to create one.

Husband darn near passed out when I said what I would be doing. ........

" And where the heill do you think you will put THAT " ..... LOL.

Cheers. ........

 

[redguinea]

Do you use a fox light? We don't have foxes here, but do have a family of dingoes on an adjoining property, however, no problems at all since the fox light was installed inside the main pen. 

I heard once the shock wears off foxes get used to the light and ignore it? I was thinking of one for the coop and when the sheep are lambing, but too many people said it was a waste if money. Glad we dont get dingos down south.

 

[satay]

Well I am devastated. My little Faverolles Charlotte passed last night. I knew she wasn't right.

What is the process of getting someone to investigate what happened?

I'm so sad

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

Sunny ....... I have never ever seen a mynah bird / birds nesting - not anywhere, that I have lived.   They seem to be just 'there' somehow, and I couldn't even define a juvenile mynah if I tried ( many spellings seen for that breed of bird - weird and confusing ).   Don't know if 'mynah' is even correct ??? :/     

Love  baby magpies, and how they are taught how to live by their parents.   They are mostly all grey as you mentioned, and grow to be bigger than their parents at one stage - while the poor parents reduce in size and weight because they are so busy feeding the hungry little blighters.    But it all works out - such is the amazing cycle of nature. 

Love to hear the calling of baby cockatoos as well - which is a very strange strangled kind of sound.   Visitors to our home, have often commented "how do you put up with that rucus " ? .... Very easy to listen to .. love it. 

Cheers ......... 

Yes, we have corellas here!!! They fly around our suburbs and turn whole trees white when they are eating in them. They make a right racket, too. But I like them. Our neighbours have a bird feeding thingo and they get sooooooooo many rosellas and other parrots and things, no joke, seriously so many. But, they don't like the corellas. So, (not to dob anyone in or anything) they throw things at them. (like, sling-shorted balls) One day I told them to scare them to our house. Because I like them. Hopefully the chooks don't mind! Oh, that reminds me of a funny chook story...lemme post that next.

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

So, above the chicken coop we have a massive gum tree. Or, it used to be massive until one of the biggest boughs fell down. Gum trees are so unpredictable, it wasn't even that windy! Anyway, it fell sort of half onto the chicken coop. The chooks were frightened so they ran into the coop and upstairs (where they sleep). Missy crowed for about 10 minutes straight after that. It was kinda funny. We had to chop all the branches off and stuff because they were almost on the road.
It took my dad ages . We also have a similar sized gum tree right outside our house...I hope a bough doesn't fall onto our house!
Also, our neighbour across the creek has a ghost gum that is no joke way taller than ours, and if it fell down towards us, over their road, over the creek and over our road, it would still damage our house. That's how big it is.

 

[Ashburnham]

I heard once the shock wears off foxes get used to the light and ignore it? I was thinking of one for the coop and when the sheep are lambing, but too many people said it was a waste if money. Glad we dont get dingos down south.

The most effective fox deterrent is electric wires at fox nose height.
Kept my chooks safe for 25 years.

xxxxx M