I am sick of it! *rant, vent and General yapping*

[cassie]

Quote:
Wildlife management is predicated on the fact that hunting is essential to control the overpopulation of species in absence of natural predators.

In many places, the raccoon has virtually NO natural predators. Eliminating raccoons is not mopping the floor, it is turning the faucet down to a manageable flow, to allow your chickens to exist without a voraciously hungry raccoon overpopulation to decimate them.

I free range my chickens, so this is especially true. Believe me, the raccoon species will not become extinct because a small percentage of the population keeps chickens.

They are a pest species and will remain plentiful unless someone starts paying hundreds of dollars for their pelts.


All the more important to fix your coop. If you shoot the predator there will just be another one. If you fix things so your chickens are unattractive it won't matter how many predators there are. We don't hunt. No one around here hunts. We are not overrun with raccoons. Or skunks. Or coyotes. Although there are enough of them that I will see any or all of them whenever I go out at night. Our last free ranging rooster just died. He was ten. Coyote didn't get him. Old age did. We have good dogs. I think that is why we are not bothered.

 

[CoopCrazy]

Cetawin You rock ..

 

[EweSheep]

Yes I do believe in reinforcing the coop but any determined animal CAN and WILL get in the coop every way imaginable. Once they start doing it, you will need to do something to protect your flock.

Yes it would be called "MANAGED" killings of predators.

Well said, Cetawin....it bugs the heck out of me for those people who thinks its ok to get killed and not to be killed. Perhaps, I may be wrong, it might be due to their AGE and experience in chicken husbandry.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

You have read my mind Cetawin. I mean is it really that hard for a person to read the rules before they make a post? And then to at least be respectful?

I agree Ewesheep, you can only do so much to protect your coop and run (hard wire etc), but if something is determined enough it will get in. No coop / run is 100% predator proof.

 

[ChickBond 007]

I agree with your sentiments. It makes me wonder if those that are so opposed to predator extermination are just as protective over eating chicken, or eating eggs... I'm not a bleeding-heart-protect-em-all type person, so perhaps I can never understand their logic.

Well, it seems that you've got this one addressed well. Now can you work on the "emergency/illness" forum and get the topic headings to say something besides "HELP" or "EMERGENCY" and follow the rule that says "state the problem in the topic heading".

That's my biggest pet peeve here.

 

[Sallyschickens]

Quote:
Ditto!

 

[Southernbelle]

That's one of my pet peeves, too, Cetawin. I really wish people would read the rules. I see newbies bumping their posts, using curse words and dang it all - learn how to use the search function!

Along this vein, I just went though 2617 pictures on my wildlife game camera and that dang fox comes by every single night looking for weaknesses in my defenses.

The game commissioner has just informed me that it is perfectly legal for me to trap and kill it on my own property under these circumstances. Am I going to wait until it figures out how to dig into the barn? No. Am I looking forward to it? No.

Thanks, Cetawin! And I'll have some Apple Crisp a la mode, please!

 

[rebecca100]

don't ask, don't tell....... That's what an old goat farmer told me once.

And hide the ant and fly guts!

 

[Krysstyllanthrox]

Quote:
I'm (sorta) still considered a young adult. Any predator comes after my critters won't be able to do so again, it will be shot with intent to kill.

Age isn't necessarily it. Depends (sometimes) largely on where a person was raised. Raised in a city, with no exposure to true wild life leads to an "awww...its cute!" type of view. Raised in the country where your critters are often your income, well, they aren't going to go cuddle the darn coons.

 

[EweSheep]

I had two dogs, a pit and chow, TORE into my hardware door and really made a work of it! So they are capable of doing anything they are determined to go at my girls. I've already explained that in the other forum with Mr Harris' topic. Enuff said!