I like the smell of them too! Its a nice countryside smell! Only thing is the damn things are fascinated with either me or Vegas my dog cos regulary i'll have an entire herd walking behind us in crocodile fashion!



The first fox attack i had wiped all my hens out,the second time one was killed,one mauled (she pulled through though) and the others went into shock for a week afterwards.Despite having 7ft high fencing all around and a male dog which scent marks everywhere foxes still get into my garden.

I do like the Alpaca idea Noushka,but unsure whether my neighbours would buy into the idea! My friends already ask me when im getting a cow for milk!

I've only ever lost young hens to a rat attack. I've been very fortunate with regards to foxes and other predators.

We've spent a small fortune on fencing etc to stop foxes; and our local game hatchery takes care of any foxes in the area (for all the locals). Foxes will dig, climb and jump to get to their prey. We have a covered run, and a larger uncovered one. Fences are sunk into the ground and are a minimum of 2 metres high. They are constructed from stock fencing, chicken wire and a plastic-based link fencing which is used for game birds. All birds are locked up at night in their various houses/sheds; and the dogs and I do a walk-round of the pens at night to check for predatory activity.
We also don't clip our birds wings, so that they would (hopefully) be able to get away and up high if there was an attack.

The badger attack was a friend of mine down south. It ripped its way through a chain-link fence and through her hen house. She chased it off - not knowing what else she could do (which is nothing).

I'd love an alpaca! I'm currently saving up for a pair of castrated males (£200 each), but it's going to take a while for me to be able to get them. We've only *just* got enough land to be able to have them though, and will have to be able to supplement their grazing year round (which is an additional cost). We'll also have to register with DEFRA and get a CPH number so that we can have that kind of livestock on our garden.

A Farmer friend of mine has had to have several of her Jersey Cattle killed through TB just recently. 40 years of no problems at all, last year however, Badgers were on her land for the first time. They have multiplied incredibly in numbers in the last few years. Her 12yr old was the first to be killed, very sad.

lol well you wont get fresher milk! ....i'd love the use of livestock guardians to catch on they'd save a lot of suffering all round

I genuinely didn't know that a badger would attack and kill chickens until my friends birds were attacked. I was completely shocked, and if she hadn't actually found the badger in the henhouse, would have thought she was mistaken....

OMG - I've wanted alpaca for ages and got talking to a farmer at a local agri show about them last year. The castrated males are much cheaper than the females, as only 1 in 10 is good enough to breed from, so they castrate and sell for pets. A female alpaca often starts at £8,000 to £10,000 and I've seen them at £13,000 to £15,000 too!
I'd like to have some as because that's they job they were bred to do ; but you need more than one as they are pack animals and will pine away without at least one friend.
2 is the max number we can get, as we've only got 1/3 of a acre; and we'll have to provide supplementary feed because of it. Having to save up lots of money...

A Farmer friend of mine has had to have several of her Jersey Cattle killed through TB just recently. 40 years of no problems at all, last year however, Badgers were on her land for the first time. They have multiplied incredibly in numbers in the last few years. Her 12yr old was the first to be killed, very sad.

Alpacos are very popular round here along with Llamas and donkeys too!

A friendly trio checking out my dog few months back.


and kissy kissy.


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Alpacos are very popular round here along with Llamas and donkeys too!

A friendly trio checking out my dog few months back.


and kissy kissy.


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