On 3/18/2013 2:00 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
"Cheryl" wrote in message
eb.com...
On 3/10/2013 5:08 PM, MaryL wrote:


"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...


"MaryL" wrote in message
...
I thought of you when I heard a local news report last night.
We have a lot of people in this area who keep a few backyard
chickens, and the report talked about a woman who has a small
business as a "chicken sitter." So, just as I use a pet sitter
when I go on vacation (or once when I was in the hospital),
people who have chickens and can't be home use her to take care
of their chickens. She feeds them, puts them in at night,
gathers eggs, etc. I thought this might interest you.

MaryL


Hi, Mary

I've replied to this twice but for some some reason it hasn't
appeared either time. So here goes again:

Thank you for sending this, it was very interesting. We don't
seem to have the same pet-sitting culture here as you do in the
USA. Pet sitters do exist but are few and far between.

I wouldn't mind being a chicken-sitter, but I'd be reluctant
unless they were very nearby (like next door) because of the
terrible daytime fox problem we have. I'd hate it if my clients
got home to find all their chickens were ex-chickens.

In the last few weeks a fox has entered a house and eaten the
finger off a month old baby. Add this to a couple of years ago
another fox went into a house and did some severe facial damage
to baby twins. There is now a call for a cull of foxes in
London. Once upon a time, before some of the nature programmes on
the telly that encourage people to feed them, foxes were afraid
of humans and only roamed around during the night - which is how
it should be IMO. Tweed

~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks, Tweed. Your message came through this time.
We do have a lot of pet sitters, but chicken sitters are rather
unusual. I have a friend who was hospitalized for several weeks
in December. She has cats, a dog, horses, two burros, chickens
and a few ducks. Luckily, someone who lives near her was able to
take care of all the "critters" while she was ill.

Your description of problems with foxes is why I think we should
not feed wild animals. I love to look at them, but feeding them
destroys their fear of humans. That, in turn, becomes a danger
both to humans and to the animals who have lost their fear.

MaryL




The story Tweed wrote is horrendous. I don't think a fox could get
in my house, so I wonder how they get in? Your view about feeding
wild animals should also pertain to feeding birds, but it's hard to
stop feeding them when you enjoy watching them through your window.
I stopped feeding birds because the food not only attracted birds,
but squirrels, and encouraged the squirrels to bear their young
here. Both the birds and the baby squirrels encouraged the large
population of stray/feral cats in the area and while I love cats, I
don't want to draw them here for a feeding fest.

continue feeding the birds and the cats. Squirrels (grey) not
welcome here but I've not instructed foxman to anything about them.
As for foxes, well, I had to get my birds into safe huts and runs
after a real daytime disaster. 22 killed. That was dreadful. Some
had managed to hide, most had their heads off. If I see a fox near I
get foxman in. He has a nice rifle.

I remember when you wrote about the chicken massacre. That must have
been so horrible to see.

I'm still choosing not to feed the birds. In one way I liked having the
stray/feral cats around because they were very effective at killing
rodents and sometimes I'd even hear the little mice or voles screaming
in the night and knew it was because of a cat. But then again, my house
is right on a very busy road and I didn't like seeing so many dead cats
that had been hit by cars. So I would rather they stay away.