I just can't stand it!!

[bobbi-j]

How did this post get so far from the OP's point?

If you are going to keep animals - of any kind - you need to take steps to educate yourself on what predators are in your area and how you are going to keep your animals safe.

The OP wasn't referring to people who free range and consider losing a certain percentage as the cost of doing business, I believe the post was referring to the frustration of reading post after post from folks lamenting the loss of their birds, asking advice on how to prevent the loss, and then failing to act on the advice due to laziness, lack of funds or whatever reason, but they go out and get MORE birds and put them right back into the dangerous situation, and act all sad and surprised when tragedy - predictably - strikes again! Then those people come on and complain about THE PREDATOR!!!!
Sheesh!

If you spend enough time here on the forum, you'll see that more often than not, threads tend to take many rabbit trails. Kind of like having a long conversation with a group of people. Something said will spark an idea or thought for someone else and off we go!

 

[Cherib603]

Yeah, I have Facebook, I'm aware of tangents.
Guess I expected a higher standard here, less degeneration into insults.

I stand corrected.

 

[bantamrooster]

How did this post get so far from the OP's point?

If you are going to keep animals - of any kind - you need to take steps to educate yourself on what predators are in your area and how you are going to keep your animals safe.

The OP wasn't referring to people who free range and consider losing a certain percentage as the cost of doing business, I believe the post was referring to the frustration of reading post after post from folks lamenting the loss of their birds, asking advice on how to prevent the loss, and then failing to act on the advice due to laziness, lack of funds or whatever reason, but they go out and get MORE birds and put them right back into the dangerous situation, and act all sad and surprised when tragedy - predictably - strikes again! Then those people come on and complain about THE PREDATOR!!!!
Sheesh!

You mean like this one?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1125366/a-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel

 

[Cherib603]

Yup

(But apparently we are not supposed to make them feel bad about it)

 

[3feathers]

You are smoking dope.

Ahhh if only, but its been some years. And I didn't inhale.

I'm pretty sure I'll be branded a tree hugger or some such, but having studied this and traveled the world enough to see the affects I have a respect for the balance in the ecosystem around me. I think how people deal with predators and such is very dependent on how they view their impact on the ecosystem around them. People often consider what they do as inconsequential because it justifies them doing it, makes it OK. One candy wrapper in Texas is nothing, so why not drop it? Consider then if everyone has the same opinion, I only dropped one so it does matter, and you end up with millions. I'm as unhappy about the loss of a chicken that I put time, effort and caring into than anyone but I consider if everyone with land killed every predator that would hurt a chicken, it would create a real mess. Rabbits in Australia? I've killed some predators and not others it really depends on the danger they represent, how prolific they are, would they cause others issues, and will they find their way back. There is no perfect "answer", just the attempt to balance out the pros and cons.

 

[centrarchid]

Ahhh if only, but its been some years.  And I didn't inhale.

I'm pretty sure I'll be branded a tree hugger or some such, but having studied this and traveled the world enough to see the affects I have a respect for the balance in the ecosystem around me.  I think how people deal with predators and such is very dependent on how they view their impact on the ecosystem around them.  People often consider what they do as inconsequential because it justifies them doing it, makes it OK.  One candy wrapper in Texas is nothing, so why not drop it?  Consider then if everyone has the same opinion, I only dropped one so it does matter, and you end up with millions.  I'm as unhappy about the loss of a chicken that I put time, effort and caring into than anyone but I consider if everyone with land killed every predator that would hurt a chicken, it would create a real mess.  Rabbits in Australia?  I've killed some predators and not others it really depends on the danger they represent, how prolific they are, would they cause others issues, and will they find their way back.  There is no perfect "answer", just the attempt to balance out the pros and cons.

You must have inhaled a lot. You are not separate from the ecosystem in anything you do. You do not have to be eating or be eaten by something to have an impact that is can be even more impactful than being part of the food chain.

 

[TalkALittle]

You mean like this one?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1125366/a-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel

I don't see how the linked post bolsters your argument. In that situation the chicken keepers experienced some losses, attempted to identify the threat and made some modifications to the housing. Turns out they misidentified the predator so their modifications didn't prevent some additional losses. They took further measures and trapped and relocated the predator which would no doubt buy them some time to further fortify the housing should they choose.

Additionally they experienced previous losses of rabbits to weasels--another predator attack that they thought highly unlikely to occur to housing they thought was sufficient to protect against. The poster doesn't say whether measures were taken to prevent further losses after The first rabbits were killed, but didn't say they weren't either. Not did they state that more rabbits were purchased to be housed in the same setup with no regard to possible future loss.

Plus, since the OP is their daughter,we are getting the story second-hand and have no idea what actual measures were taken, the amount of concern felt by the owners, nor the exact timetable over which the losses occurred. It seems unfair to judge these people.

 

[3feathers]

You must have inhaled a lot. You are not separate from the ecosystem in anything you do. You do not have to be eating or be eaten by something to have an impact that is can be even more impactful than being part of the food chain.

Lest there be some confusion for anyone doing a quick browse of this thread I thought I should point out that in fact this is what I said. Now perhaps I don't understand the reference of smoking pot and you mean that it would imbue some wisdom or knowledge that I am part of the ecosystem as opposed to the meaning that I am confused and when I said "by definition we are all part of the ecosystem..." is somehow wrong and I should have said I am "not separate"? Allow me to pull the relevant references:

Regardless of how anyone else chooses to raise their livestock I am not going to in any way lessen my bird's security nor relent to some person's bleeding heart. The ecosystem is something we humans have long since removed ourselves from and I have no intention of rejoining it just to the local raccoons can dine on chicken when they are just as eager to eat out of a garbage can or anything else they come across.

I didn't highlight the actual line as I didn't want to alter the quote.

"The ecosystem is something we humans have long since removed ourselves from and I have no intention of rejoining it"

I don't understand this part of your post. You are by definition part of the ecosystem as long as you exist in it and affect it.
'a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.' It is impossible to remove yourself from the ecosystem unless you leave the ecosystem (leave not die as you would still be part of it dead). You would have to go off planet.

Given I did not pull the quote out of the previous post, but being the previous post and the quote marks I thought it fairly obvious, and with the rest of the text below gave some flavor to my stance.

 

[centrarchid]

Given I did not pull the quote out of the previous post, but being the previous post and the quote marks I thought it fairly obvious, and with the rest of the text below gave some flavor to my stance.

What you have posted throughout lacks clarity. To much connecting dots required and it appears only you can do it. What you have in quotes I assumed to have come from you. It did not jibe with other points you made. All results in confusion.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

What you have posted throughout lacks clarity. To much connecting dots required and it appears only you can do it. What you have in quotes I assumed to have come from you. It did not jibe with other points you made. All results in confusion.

Maybe if I smoked some dope it would help me connect those dots too. As it stands though I'm left with the impression that either 3feathers is grasping at straws or is simply too obtuse to understand the point.