Yep the little fox is still with us! Im not there as a student any more, so dont come into contact with them all like I would if I where..
They are not meant to be named, due to the names for the animal going on to the system, that is done by naming them after the surname of the rescuer.

Yeah, but some seem to get 'celebrity' status, and the rules go out of the window the ones I named were kept outside in the permement garden aviary, but you also get ones like 'Betty the bionic goose' (didn't see any paper coverage after I was told she was pts though).

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ionic-leg.html

I love the smell of cattle (I am odd I know!)

Oops I mean ALIVE cattle

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.

thanks for clarifying about the badger, and thats fantastic that youre saving for the alpaca theyre suppose to be fantastic sentinals im sure you wont have any more problems with the foxes when you get them respect to you for that!

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...

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!

good luck then ....have you seen these links? even Prince Charles is impressed with em


http://www.horseandcountry.tv/celebr...way-my-alpacas

http://www.mulberryalpacas.com/seren...ect-Lambs.html