Harry horse & Charlie adventures! Horse chat & much more! Everyone welcome!

[TwoCrows]

Kim, I am super glad Keeper did well at the vet today, hopefully he can be done with veterinarians soon!!

@rebrascora I am so glad this story had a good ending! Missing birds, scattered feathers, all very scary negative images run through your mind. I am glad you found your babies and they are ok!

 

[rebrascora]

@N F C and @Two Crows ..... thanks guys. I think he just earned a monicker.... "Lucky". I still can't believe he got away with that!

 

[N F C]

@N F C and @Two Crows ..... thanks guys. I think he just earned a monicker.... "Lucky". I still can't believe he got away with that!

Definitely Lucky!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Thanks everyone Just one more month to get through and hopefully we have got to the the other side with him

Barbara that is scary! As I was reading along I didn’t expect a happy outcome at all! Glad you found her and that he came back That sure was a lucky escape for both of them. Now would be the time to get the blighter as it surely will be back now it knows.

Scott spotted one near us last night, end of street is a dead end with just fields and it was there. He’s got one of those thermal image cameras and it was sniffing about in some rubbish bags the farmer had dumped. Unfortunately it popped back through hedge and over the railway line that runs at the back of us. Charlie was all ready for getting the gun out of the cabinet and stalking down the street to get it!

 

[rebrascora]

It had obviously heard of Charlie's reputation as a crack shot and decided not to risk it by coming your way.

Yes, I was as surprised as anyone that he survived and turned back up at home.... not sure if he was hiding at home somewhere and the odd feather that I was tracking were just falling from the foxes mouth as it headed home empty handed (mouthed) or if he played dead until it put him down and then he legged it. I must confess that I didn't look for him any further once I found her because I assumed he had been taken and was just grateful for it not to have been both of them. He's a plucky little fellow and was happy to wolf down some fermented feed at bedtime when I held it up to him on the roost, which encouraged her to eat something too. She had been to scared/shocked to eat anything earlier when I put her back in the coop. Lavender feathers are so easy to track, you only need one little one every 10 yards to be able to follow a trail of them as oppose to the great clumps of them on the lawn that sent my heart into my mouth.
I find it so strange that the fox has twice targeted the occupants of this coop on the lawn at the front in the open, when the two coops in the back garden on the other side of the house have lots of cover and the Marans and Welsummers will not stay in their pen and free range the garden the minute I let them out.... and there is a lot more meat on them than those scrawny little pekins.
Having said that, one of those Marans hens is so butch, she would probably send a fox off with it's tail between it's legs..... I'm jesting.... I know she wouldn't stand a chance against a fox really, but I wouldn't put it past her to have a go! She doesn't like intruders in HER garden, although she graciously shares it with the cats now that they accept her supremacy and back away slowly, bowing in deference as she approaches. Tiger my tom cat is huge and takes down rabbits but he suddenly finds somewhere else to be when he sees her..... Animals are so funny!

I've had such a long quiet spell with fox attacks, you get lulled into a false sense of security. I thought the local shooting syndicate must have taken out my last problem one when things went quiet. I hate that horrible sinking feeling when you come home and see those feathers littering the garden.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Has it been back? How are the little Pekin?

 

[rebrascora]

No, it hasn't been back YET but then I'm keeping them locked up at the moment. The little lad is chipper thanks, crowing away and apart from a few minor injuries (scuffs and scrapes and the feather loss which is actually not as bad as the feathers on the lawn would have you believe) he's his usual self and she is, as always, his shadow. I doubt I will be seeing any eggs from her for a while though!
Did you manage to get out on Harry at all at the weekend? It was glorious weather for it but I've totally let the side down with our riding pact! I decided that I needed to get one of my muck bays emptied at the yard, so I can turn the remaining muck heap into it and then have space to put new stuff in the vacated bay. Nothing like shifting a few tons of manure by hand for giving you a work out and I made the local gardeners happy and earned some funds for World Horse Welfare in the process.... I charge £15 a trailer load delivered and the money goes to care for horses that are less fortunate than mine! Thought I had better get it shifted in that lovely calm spell before the "Beast from the East" storm arrives! ..... Anyway, that is my excuse for not riding and from the weather forecast, I am going to have an even better excuse once that storms hits us! We had a tiny smattering of snow overnight and there is the odd flake coming down now, but trying to be prepared for things to get bad later. Has it hit you yet?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Glad to hear they are both ok Barbara Do you think I’ve been riding? A big fat no from me too! Seems we are both failing miserably at it. It has been lovely down here too and I should have taken advantage but we are still working through dog duties, totally crazy that we still dare not leave him on his own but I really just can’t bring myself to do it. I had a tot up the other day at how much it’s cost so far and it scared me If anything else were to go wrong with him I’m afraid it would have to be curtains so for now everything barring the basics is on hold. I do think I’m getting the short straw sometimes though as Charlie and his dad seem to be getting out shooting still

That’s really kind of you to donate the money to the World horse welfare! I told all the others liveries the other day that if they don’t start keeping the muck heap tidy I was going to fine them and give the money to the “Wonky Donkey Sanctuary” It’s a local charity to us that take in donks, horse’s & ponies that need help and they actually use the money for the upkeep of them not fancy offices or management. The 2 ladies who run it were caught up in the Manchester bombing so that was a huge setback for them as they were both injured but they seem to be back on track now.

We too had a dusting last night and it’s trying again now! Def no riding this week, me and H are fair weather creatures

We have an amber warning down here so goodness knows what it’s going to like but I’ve warned Scott I will need to take his pick up if it gets really bad! Don’t want to be bumping my little van anymore than I already have His ranger is much more sturdy than my little Bertie Berlingo!

 

[rebrascora]

Well, I feel a little better now that we have both confessed to failing miserably on our pact.... it would be so much worse if one of us was making the other feel bad, even if it was totally unintentionally! I can totally understand your situation with Keeper..... you have a huge emotional and financial investment there and another set back is just not an option. It is all too easy for some to take those responsibilities more seriously than others and for those others just to let them shoulder the burden.... sadly it is the way of the world, but pleased for Keeper that he has you to keep him out of mischief.
Good to hear you can borrow a better vehicle for the bad weather if you need it. I've just parked my car up and my old Freelander will be doing all the running around for the next week I think. Will do it good to get a bit more work and maybe a little fun playing in the snow!
I hope the girls on your yard cough up for your charity, even if it does mean that the muck heap is untidy, which will unfortunately continue to do your head in. It sounds like a good one.... Love the name!
Hope you have a good day and the weather is not too difficult. X

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I was expecting much more snow this morning but it really isn’t that bad!

The sun even came out inbetween the clouds