Some Pet Questions

Battery Rover

Have recently moved from a big town right out into the country and have now got plenty of space to keep a few animals. My young lad also loves animals and is at the age where he is asking for some.

Questions I would like answered if possible are

We are going to keep chickens for eggs. So what size house would you need for them and what size run would be advisable. Room isnt really an issue as the garden is about 4 acres. Plus a way to keep out the foxes as well as there are quite a few round as no one is allowed shoot on the land thankfully.

Have always wanted to keep birds(not pigeons). What are the best types to keep outside as while they will be caged I don't think it is right keep them in a little one in a house.

My young lad is asking for a rabbit but I have heard they can be quite vicious at times. If this is true what is the alternative. To be kept outside as well.

Any other pets people can recommend that are easy keep as I work from home and all would be well looked after by everyone in the house. Guess all I want is my own pet farm.

jameshayes

if you have water on your 4acres you could concider ducks?

Our man in Havana

How old is your son?? Rabbits need a lot of attention & I would advise you wait till spring - its easier to get used to the daily needs when the weather is warmer than now. Guinea pigs are lovely alternative pets & they make cute squeaking noises when dinner time is near! Our guys go mad when they realise the feeding round has started

Chickens will need a pen if you have foxes - as large as you can make it! With a chicken house or small shed will be great. You can let them out during the day to free range but I would only advise you do this if the garden is secure otherwise they will not stick to your 4 acres etc.

As for birds my bigger birds have 12ft by 6 ft by 8-10ft hight aviaries with a small inside area.

You can always come & see my place & birds etc. Pm for address etc.

kerrysgold

for the hens, a garden shed will do for 20 or so hens, but secure fencing is a must.
would you consider adopting some rescued battery hens? they will produce an egg every day or so and really deserve a good home as after being stuck in a cage for year they are killed but there are organisations rescuing as many as possible.

with 4 acres, you have plenty of land for some large animals as well. maybe if your boy wanted to take up riding lessons you could get a pony when he is good enough but he would need another pony for company preferably. other things that you could get would be a couple of pet donkeys, goats or sheep. sheep in particular are very hardy and don't mind the cold weather. Good luck with your new place anyway, it sounds like paradise hehe!

Battery Rover

Bond-007 wrote: »

How old is your son?? Rabbits need a lot of attention & I would advise you wait till spring - its easier to get used to the daily needs when the weather is warmer than now.

My son is 6 and I thought that about rabbits as well. I will take you up on the visit to see your birds soon when I get a bit of free time away from here.

kerrysgold wrote:

for the hens, a garden shed will do for 20 or so hens, but secure fencing is a must.
would you consider adopting some rescued battery hens? they will produce an egg every day or so and really deserve a good home as after being stuck in a cage for year they are killed but there are organisations rescuing as many as possible.

Definitely any animal I get will be a rescued one if that is possible. As for big animals I'm not so sure as I want to get him used to caring for the small ones before taking that leap but a goat is a big possibility.

Just have to plan the layout of all the sheds etc I am going to need now.

What are the chances of getting a pure bred labrador puppy that was rescued from a breeding farm? Do many of these places get raided. Reason for wanting a pure bred dog is that I like their manner and all that. Not interested in breeding as all my other dogs were neutered as well.

TheB

Battery Rover wrote: »

. As for big animals I'm not so sure as I want to get him used to caring for the small ones before taking that leap but a goat is a big possibility.

Very sensible!! Big animals are hard work - especially ponies/horses (no offence meant kerrysgold). Goats are pretty hardy and the pigmy ones are cute and relatively easy to care for. We had 4 in the UK. Just be aware they are total escape artists and when out will eat everything - literally! Good fencing is a must. The are also great waste disposal units if you haven't got a compost heap to use - everything vegetable-y / bready /pasta like (no meat obviously) they love - especially the fruit out of a Pimms!

What are the chances of getting a pure bred labrador puppy that was rescued from a breeding farm? Do many of these places get raided. Reason for wanting a pure bred dog is that I like their manner and all that. Not interested in breeding as all my other dogs were neutered as well.

You can sometimes find them with rescue organisations but tbh if it's temperment you are looking for I'm not sure that this is the way to go - a lot of the dogs bred in these farms are poorly bred - from both a physical and mental view, badly socialised and not always easy to handle or true to breed standard.. may be better to either look for one that is pure bred that needs a home through other circumstances through the rescues or breed societies.

We also had hens from a battery farm.. they were poor featherless pathetic little birds when they came - with appalling urine/faeces burns on their legs, chests and undercarriages but they soon recovered with decent food and treatment - we only lost one out of 15 that we rescued. We didn't eat their eggs though for 4 weeks as they are so pumped full of antibiotics at the battery farms. Our vet reckoned 21-28 days before they were clear of them. Their eggs went from having very pale watery yolks and small whites to huge orange yolks with lots of white in this time.. good diet and freedom to wander does wonders!

The lived in a converted garden shed (we bought it from B&Q then put shelves up in 2 layers on either side with little dividers so they could lay and perch) and round the shed was electric sheep netting to prevent foxes breaking in - just works off a little energiser (all from ebay - pm me if you'd like details) is a great way to protect them.. our hens were free range during the day - on the yard and never lost one to foxes. They didn't go far from home though. If you pen them with electric netting to start then feed them a little 3 or 4 times a day where you want them to be they'll get the message and stay around there.. awww.. I miss them now I'm talking about them.. they all had names etc and everything..

Bx

kerrysgold

Well, if you're looking for a puppy, any dog will have a good temperament once you socialise it etc. If it's labs you really like though, I'm not sure about the chances of getting a purebred one, I'd say in the pounds/rescues there would be a waiting list for lab pups but you should check it out anyway. If you can't find a pure one, maybe you could get a lab x? a lot of lab x pups would look like the real thing if it's the looks you like as well (they are adorable) if you'd be interested in helping out a pound dog you should visit http://petsireland.invisionzone.com and register, then you'll be able to see the "urgent matters" section and if you see a dog/pup you like you could offer to foster it for a while and see if it was the dog/pup for you. theres loads of different dogs posted on there nearly every day.

TheB, no offence taken, big animals can be hard work but usually a pony/horse is hardy enough to live outdoors all the time so that cuts out the mucking out etc.
sheep are pretty low maintenance, my neighbour has 3 sheep and she never does anything with them except give them water. They would need to be sheared when the weather started heating up though, and maybe dipped, I'm not sure if you need to dip them or not if you're not selling the wool.....

oh yeah I agree about the pygmy goats, they are lovely little things, very cute.

fits

kerrysgold wrote: »

sheep are pretty low maintenance, my neighbour has 3 sheep and she never does anything with them except give them water. They would need to be sheared when the weather started heating up though, and maybe dipped, I'm not sure if you need to dip them or not if you're not selling the wool.....

No way are sheep low maintenance... No way.

They are far higher maintenance than horses in my experience. They need so much dosing, they get horrible ailments like footrot and flystrike. They need to be shorn every year. They need to be dagged if they scour. They like to break out of their field.... it goes on and on and on.

MsFifers

kerrysgold wrote: »

sheep are pretty low maintenance, my neighbour has 3 sheep and she never does anything with them except give them water.

:eek: Nooooo! Not true! Not low maintenance - I am getting horrible flashbacks of having to look after a fly-struck sheep because its owner (not a farmer, btw) hadn't dipped it and went away on an extended holiday.

The poor thing's side was eaten away with millions of maggots! And the bleddy vet could hardly be persuaded to come out because he said sheep weren't worth the treatment. AND then he wouldn't catch it! And the local farmer told me to pour parazone on him (the sheep not the vet). TRAUMA!

OK. (DEEP BREATH) Sorry. Back on topic.

Don't get a sheep.

What about a pair of donkeys? You can info about taking care of them here:
http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie/site/4/Home.html The donkey sanctuary needs people to foster donkeys and offers a training course on how to look after them.

When I get rich and own my acres of land, that is what I am going to do!!

fits

I feel your pain MsFifers... Fly strike is a horrible thing to have to deal with.... you pretty much have to scrape the maggots out of the flesh.

Foot rot is horrible too... gives me the heebie jeebies.

TheB

MsFifers wrote: »

Don't get a sheep.

Totally agree!! Sheep... noooooooooo! Same experiences as Fits & MsFifers with sheep... bleugh.. horrible maggoty flystrike! And they sound like Rice Crispies when they are munching about on the poor sheeps.. :feelspukeynow:

What about a pair of donkeys? You can info about taking care of them here:
http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie/site/4/Home.html The donkey sanctuary needs people to foster donkeys and offers a training course on how to look after them.

Thats a nice idea! And they do training courses ?! Thats great!

Amimad

I say Ducks:D, Just get a kids sand box for them to swim in.
I have 3 & they love it, espically when the water has just been cleaned.
I have also tried to keep them in a pen, but the fly out or the wind blows it down, so they've taken to wandering the neighbours field during the day, they run over to have a swim a couple of times. as long as they can don't have their wings cliped they have a better chance of getting away from foxes.
In the evening they come back for thier dinner & snuggle down next to the dog pens ( no fear of foxes going near them).
I think they are the easiest pets I've ever kept

Back Stabbath

Get a rabbit from as young age as possible. I had one years ago, she was given to me when she was too young to be taken away from her mother I think, but she was like a dog. She sat on your knee, licked you, drank from the same bowl as the cat and dog, chased cats out of the garden.... She was gorgeous, I would never have known a rabbit could be like that. Get a girl they are less prone to bite (but it wont anyway if you get it young enough, or an adult tame one)

Good luck!