BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ChickenCanoe]

The big cats have been spotted in out area too. Wildlife dept denied and denied they were here and kept accusing people of photoshopping, until the proof was overwhelming, now they say "they don't live here, they are just using OK to pass through to where the actually live." .......................................................... yeah right ...................................... are you practicing to run for office??????

I'm with you. They use to say the same in MO. They have now confirmed 57 sightings of mountain lions and reproducing populations of black bears now.
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-reporting/mountain-lion-reports
http://www.missourinet.com/2013/08/...bear-return-indication-of-recovering-habitat/

Hypothetically speaking, do you really think they would kill your birds if they were indeed not infected? My problem is, I don't know how they are handling this.

They will.
Even if they are immune or resistant to the strain, if they test positive, they will depopulate the entire building.

 

[Kusanar]

There are mountain lions in VA too, but again, the government says there aren't. But my dad remembers growing up on a mountain in the woods and coming across cat tracks in the snow the size of a dinner plate... My old vet saw a black one in her back field several years ago... One of my parents neighbors (about 3 miles away) has horses and about 20 years ago she heard a commotion and went out to see what it was, it was one of her geldings fighting a mountain lion that was trying to kill the new foal in the field...

 

[jbkirk]

In WA if you see a mountain lion you shot first, ask later. If the wildlife find out before you shot then they will relocate it and then it will eventually come back again, and the cycle starts all over. the coyote population around here has really dropped off in the last few years, I just hope that awful, terrible and horrendous Ecology Dep. doesn't decide that they need to be listed endangered.

 

[bnjrob]

In WA if you see a mountain lion you shot first, ask later. If the wildlife find out before you shot then they will relocate it and then it will eventually come back again, and the cycle starts all over. the coyote population around here has really dropped off in the last few years, I just hope that awful, terrible and horrendous Ecology Dep. doesn't decide that they need to be listed endangered.

And when you kill off top predators like wolves, bears, and mountain lions, you open the door to more problems. Here in TX, because our ancestors killed off most of the top predators, coyotes are out of control. They adapt to any situation, including living in the city and feeding out of dumpsters, trash cans, and even people's pets in their yards - they are like rats here. They are not nearly as afraid of people as they should be, and that is dangerous. The wildlife dept has to air drop bait laced with rabies vaccine to try to control rabies that is spread by the coyotes. It is better to learn to live with the wildlife, even the top predators, unless nothing else can be done with a particularly dangerous individual predator, rather than to kill off everything and wind up with problem you didn't count on.

 

[bnjrob]

Hypothetically speaking, do you really think they would kill your birds if they were indeed not infected? My problem is, I don't know how they are handling this.

They already have done that. They convinced a woman I believe I it was in MS or AL, to turn her flock over to them because she had received some birds from a hatchery that was later found to have AI. They killed all her birds without testing until later and last I read about that incident, those tests were negative. They coerced her to sign over her birds without a single test being performed, under the guise of public safety *just in case*.

 

[DesertChic]

And when you kill off top predators like wolves, bears, and mountain lions, you open the door to more problems. Here in TX, because our ancestors killed off most of the top predators, coyotes are out of control. They adapt to any situation, including living in the city and feeding out of dumpsters, trash cans, and even people's pets in their yards - they are like rats here. They are not nearly as afraid of people as they should be, and that is dangerous. The wildlife dept has to air drop bait laced with rabies vaccine to try to control rabies that is spread by the coyotes. It is better to learn to live with the wildlife, even the top predators, unless nothing else can be done with a particularly dangerous individual predator, rather than to kill off everything and wind up with problem you didn't count on.

The town I live in is primarily a retirement community. The snowbirds who come here put feed out for the coyotes, not realizing the damage they're doing. They see them as dogs...right up until those coyotes make their dens nearby and start feeding on the local pets. They've also managed to attract bobcats and even a couple mountain lions into highly populated neighborhoods with dangerous results. Several elderly people have been attacked by the animals, but they still don't learn.

Right now our biggest problems are rabid skunks and huge herds of javelina. We've had a bunch of mature javelina hanging out near my house, uprooting all of my front yard including a huge agave plant. They're destructive little suckers.

 

[bnjrob]

The town I live in is primarily a retirement community. The snowbirds who come here put feed out for the coyotes, not realizing the damage they're doing. They see them as dogs...right up until those coyotes make their dens nearby and start feeding on the local pets. They've also managed to attract bobcats and even a couple mountain lions into highly populated neighborhoods with dangerous results. Several elderly people have been attacked by the animals, but they still don't learn.

Right now our biggest problems are rabid skunks and huge herds of javelina. We've had a bunch of mature javelina hanging out near my house, uprooting all of my front yard including a huge agave plant. They're destructive little suckers.

Ugh. People just don't stop to think of the long term consequences of what they do.

 

[hellbender]

In southern West Virginia, there's an area called Paint Creek. The locals (who should know better) have been feeding bears for years, which has been against the law for many years. This has resulted in bears breaking into houses and several people have been injured. Don't recall if there have been folks killed or not but a lot of bears have been killed due to foolish people.

 

[WVduckchick]

In southern West Virginia, there's an area called Paint Creek. The locals (who should know better) have been feeding bears for years, which has been against the law for many years. This has resulted in bears breaking into houses and several people have been injured. Don't recall if there have been folks killed or not but a lot of bears have been killed due to foolish people.

I know the area well! Don't remember stories about deaths either, but I do know you are right about the rest!

The coal miners in the area had a heck of a time with keeping their lunches safe until noon!

 

[Our Roost]

Interesting. I think they would have a difficult time convincing or coercing me without a warrant and sufficient proof. In fact, I myself would demand it. How about you?