English Shepherd as Poultry Guardian

[Ruthster55]

Your thread brought tears to my eyes.

I am the distant one, the one why did not fly home to a dearest friend and sponsor’s funeral....from a sudden cause....

I am the one who read the COVID statistics last week and this week...am scared to travel right now.

I want to send you a long-distance hug and tell you that you are not alone in grief here on BYC.

Yes, I am building something, too. ....

 

[centrarchid]

Your thread brought tears to my eyes.

I am the distant one, the one why did not fly home to a dearest friend and sponsor’s funeral....from a sudden cause....

I am the one who read the COVID statistics last week and this week...am scared to travel right now.

I want to send you a long-distance hug and tell you that you are not alone in grief here on BYC.

Yes, I am building something, too. ....

No hugging please, that is what got me in the most recent trouble of quarantine.

It has sucked big time, but things will have to get better at some point. I must first survive the loneliness and not do self harm while getting back into cooking for myself. For me, it is now easier to empathize with my grandparents and mother when they lost loved ones.

Try to be strong your self. I am trying to distract myself with ways of making the home worth more. Mostly just thinking, but may act on an idea or two.

 

[Ruthster55]

No hugging please, that is what got me in the most recent trouble of quarantine.

It has sucked big time, but things will have to get better at some point. I must first survive the loneliness and not do self harm while getting back into cooking for myself. For me, it is now easier to empathize with my grandparents and mother when they lost loved ones.

Try to be strong your self. I am trying to distract myself with ways of making the home worth more. Mostly just thinking, but may act on an idea or two.

I’m not a super-huggy person....German and British ancestors....

I am so glad that this bitter experience has brought you empathy with your mother and grandparents. Empathy is a quality that is very lacking. There needs to be more listening + consideration and understanding rather than endless divisions and egotism.

I thought of you both last night (not knowing) and tonight while collecting November beetles to give to the chickens. (November beetles are the local version of Junebugs).

I have a project ongoing that has to do with chickens and hopefully will help the farm. It’s a second coop made out of local and on-farm materials that will be for some egg layers. We put in some of the roosts today, and some more will go in tomorrow. Need to get some pictures! Hopefully can take some 2morrow....

Pastured eggs of various colors (white, brown, blue, green) sell for quite a bit more than the supermarket cheap caged eggs.

We have enough hawks and the like in the area, that I will need to pasture the layers with some roosters.

Not sure what breeds of roosters I will choose yet. I love Games, but they are highly desirable here and are subject to (human) theft if they are visible from a road. (Neighbor has had a Game hen or two stolen).

I might just go with a few mutt roosters. I have one extra that I will avoid culling.

The fencing for the new run ain’t PremierOne great, but it’s 9-strand with a low electric strand vs. invading dogs.

Please stay healthy!!! (((((VirtualHug)))))

Under more normal circumstances, I might be two or three states over from you at this time!

 

[centrarchid]

I appear to have the bug, but not feeling too bad. Headache, generally achiness and chills only symptoms. Taster and sniffer both working or there would be real trouble.

My offending hugger was mostly German based on name, some do not follow pattern.

For roosters to protect spread out flock of laying hens, consider first generation crosses between a game and another breed. They will get some of the game behaviors needed without being game. I can keep the F1 males in multiples with hens without too much trouble.

Currently, with exception of 6 hens, all my free-range birds are juveniles with oldest no more than 8 weeks old. I see hawks and Bald Eagles daily, but they are not causing trouble so far this year. Dogs are really doing their job.

With fencing, be prepared for dogs to learn before respecting fence.

 

[Ruthster55]

I appear to have the bug, but not feeling too bad. Headache, generally achiness and chills only symptoms. Taster and sniffer both working or there would be real trouble.

My offending hugger was mostly German based on name, some do not follow pattern.

For roosters to protect spread out flock of laying hens, consider first generation crosses between a game and another breed. They will get some of the game behaviors needed without being game. I can keep the F1 males in multiples with hens without too much trouble.

Currently, with exception of 6 hens, all my free-range birds are juveniles with oldest no more than 8 weeks old. I see hawks and Bald Eagles daily, but they are not causing trouble so far this year. Dogs are really doing their job.

With fencing, be prepared for dogs to learn before respecting fence.

Thank You So Much!!!!

Please do everything you can to stay healthy!!

When it’s sunny here, I’m letting the sun hit me a bit....not so much as to get a lobster burn or get skin cancer but just a bit to maintain Vitamin D. I try to eat my chickens’ eggs regularly because hens exposed to sunlight have better Vit D in their eggs.

I take a vitamin around an hour before any trip into town like to the grocery store or bill paying. I hope you are taking some of the same precautions. Yes, I wear a mask anytime I go off the property and also when outside visitors are here (or stay in the house if they’re just here briefly to vaccinate a cow etc).

I have a few of these “accidents” that are 1/2 Game. They will probably be the ones that I will nominate for laying hen protection duty.

The smallest “accident” has been dubbed “Love Child,” but he is a long way from protecting a flock.

I also have a gray 1/2-Game stag that is a keeper.

There is another 1/2 Game that is black but kind of patched (leakage). He will probably be sent out to the egg-laying coop and area to work.

 

[TwoCrows]

@centrarchid My deepest condolences to you and your family, I can't imagine the empty you feel. Take care of yourself ok?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

@centrarchid I too am sorry. I cannot imagine what you are going through. You are in my thoughts. Take care of yourself.

 

[fisherlady]

@centrarchid hope you are feeling better.

 

[aart]

I was just thinking about him this morning....and was going to bump this thread.
But found this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/centrarchid-is-retiring-from-this-site.1428842/

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you for linking that @aart

It's a shame he left, and he will be missed, but he has to take care of himself and his kids, that is his only priority. He will return later if it becomes the right thing for him to do.