Badgers

[Midland Beek]

My bees have not had any problems with the badgers, the hens have not been so lucky.

I have never heard of badgers taking chickens.

I have heard of people blame foxes for taking chickens when it has really been mink to blame.

 

[Stiffy]

I have never heard of badgers taking chickens.

I have heard of people blame foxes for taking chickens when it has really been mink to blame.

For what it’s worth..

I was on a farm site yesterday where the owner said he had very recently caught a badger in his hen house and that he had lost several chickens previously to what he had thought was a fox. Luckily he is a genuine country person and very honest about it and said it was his problem and that he should have made his hen house safer and that he will now make it secure.

I have also heard of hives being overturned by badgers presumably for the honey and grubs but this has been easily sorted by using electric netting fence.


If we keep a ready source of food stuff available, hives, chickens, open dustbins and make it easy for wildlife to take advantage off, we shouldn’t be surprised when they do!

Stands well back...........

 

[keithgrimes]

One of my friends caught a badger in his henhouse. Eggs broken and eaten but no chickens damaged (although they were in a hell of a state, it was the racket that drew him down there in the first place). I was told in my beekeeping course that they were known to damage hives.

 

[darrenperrett]

A farmer about a mile from us caught a badger taking a lamb during the cold snap earlier in the year. I think they`ll take anything if they`re hungry enough.

 

[Brosville]

AND it'll be their fault if Andy whatsisface loses at Wombledon!

 

[darrenperrett]

AND it'll be their fault if Andy whatsisface loses at Wombledon!

If he loses to a badger then he`s done well to get this far

 

[merylvingien]

AND it'll be their fault if Andy whatsisface loses at Wombledon!

And badgers are completley innocent of any wrong doing and only eat worms LMFAO

 

[Midland Beek]

I think the motor vehicle keeps badger numbers down.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I think the motor vehicle keeps badger numbers down.

Your right Chris.......but many of them have been shot first.

 

[susbees]

I have never heard of badgers taking chickens.

Well, our first attack which resulted in ten dead bantams in a raised coop twice as strong as many beehives and right beside our house was photographed and documented by the DEFRA badger specialist from Worcester. And we were told exactly what was legal and what was not to deal with the issue. And yes it was badger....the metal ventilation mesh was ripped out (four feet off the ground) and timber around it splintered.

The second (another drought summer) saw our stock sitter witnessing fox AND badger on top of chicken houses in broad daylight. At that point we moved all except the reinforced bantam house's chickens into the barn and installed perches.

Drought and frozen ground are the problem with badgers.

 

[Foxylad]

Badgers are opportunistic, will eat just about anything they come across. There main diet is invertebrates and earth worms. But in times of drought and hard ground ie, frost they predate on what ever they come across. It is proven they are responsible for the decline in hedgehog numbers and a major cause of ground nesting birds in the spring.
Badgers are not cute and fluffy although the makes of spring watch would like us to believe. Badger populations are at an all time high, population is 4 times what it was 20 years ago.

Treating hives or hive stands in creosote will help prevent damage.The strong man made sent is to much for the badger to bear.

 

[iball]

I think the motor vehicle keeps badger numbers down.

I hit a badger once, it walked away and it cost £1000 to repair the car.

And for that reason I'm not fond of badgers.

Ian

 

[garethbryson]

I've lived in close proximity to badgers for a great many years, and find them an utter delight - but dislike the ghastly antibiotic-riddled bovine pests that are spreading TB to our wildlife due to widespread appalling husbandry and reliance on "chemicals"

You obviously know F**k all about farming

Firstly.
TB tests are carried out on all farms annually here in northern ireland, Postive animals are taken and slaughtered immediatly. So if this is happening and the TB is then being spread back into the herds, can you tell me how its getting back???? I work for the Dept Agriculture in northern ireland and i'm involved with mapping and walking farms that have confirmed TB in the herd. 90% of herds that get re infected have active badger sets on the land.

Secondly
I'd like to ask you something, If you had an abcess in your foot would you just let it be and hobble around in agony for days or sit and do nothing and starve to death because its too sore to walk on??? If you had pneumonia, would you just lie in bed and wait to die??? I DONT THINK SO!!!!! You'd go to your doctor and get an antibiotic. The same goes for our animals. we try to help them with the medicines that we have available to us. And if we didn't try to help them and someone like you happened to see one of my cows walking along the road to be milked and she was lame, the next thing i know is that i'd have the RSPCA on to me for cruelty. How do i win.??????????

 

[Stiffy]

You obviously know F**k all about farming

Firstly.
TB tests are carried out on all farms annually here in northern ireland, Postive animals are taken and slaughtered immediatly. So if this is happening and the TB is then being spread back into the herds, can you tell me how its getting back???? I work for the Dept Agriculture in northern ireland and i'm involved with mapping and walking farms that have confirmed TB in the herd. 90% of herds that get re infected have active badger sets on the land.

Secondly
I'd like to ask you something, If you had an abcess in your foot would you just let it be and hobble around in agony for days or sit and do nothing and starve to death because its too sore to walk on??? If you had pneumonia, would you just lie in bed and wait to die??? I DONT THINK SO!!!!! You'd go to your doctor and get an antibiotic. The same goes for our animals. we try to help them with the medicines that we have available to us. And if we didn't try to help them and someone like you happened to see one of my cows walking along the road to be milked and she was lame, the next thing i know is that i'd have the RSPCA on to me for cruelty. How do i win.??????????

Badgers and TB is an emotive issue and I do understand that someone may get cross but I for one do not like the use of expletives on this or any other forum and respectfully ask that you refrain form using them?

Many Thanks

 

[Brosville]

I have farmed - successfully, with not a chemical anywhere, and a total "open door" policy to any farm visitors (to the total bemusement of the local NFU and min of ag types)
Should you actually take the time to do a bit of research into the field in which you claim expertise, you'll find that it is quite acceptable to use antibiotics on livestock in an organic farm, but unlike "conventional farming" the products from that animal have to be withdrawn for a suitable period to allow it's clearance from said animal, which is entirely reasonable, and ensures there's no chance of residues ending up inside the customers.
As for the subject of your unreasoned loathing - badgers..... without going all over old ground again - the ONLY way to ensure killing badgers is successful in preventing TB spread is to completely wipe them out - all the trials have shown that culls actually tend to spread the disease wider, and the only reason they're looking at a nationwide cull is as a sop to farmers who are somewhat hacked off at losing their stock to government policy
(note my choice of words - not losses to TB, but losses because of government policy!)

Let us for some ghastly acid flash moment assume you get your way, and the air is full of the scent of burning badger corpses, an entire species wiped out on the altar of ignorance - and cows continue to get/spread/have the disease spread to them by wildlife -what's next on your list of creatures to be sacrificed - deer, rabbits, hares, all birdlife?.............. there you are, standing in this silent chemicalised barren wasteland, hot 12-bore in hand with no income, because the general public have long ago lost any sympathy they had for you and your ilk....
If only for selfish reasons, widespread culls of wildlife are NOT the way forward, we need changes of policy, treatment of infected animals, and vaccinations of both cows and suspected wildlife vectors...........application of intelligence, not blind brute force and ignorance!

 

[Stiffy]

Treating hives or hive stands in creosote will help prevent damage.The strong man made sent is to much for the badger to bear.

Wouldnt taste too good in your honey either

 

[davethegas]

Think its safe to assume, had trouble with badgers then ?

 

[garethbryson]

I have farmed - successfully, with not a chemical anywhere, and a total "open door" policy to any farm visitors (to the total bemusement of the local NFU and min of ag types)
Should you actually take the time to do a bit of research into the field in which you claim expertise, you'll find that it is quite acceptable to use antibiotics on livestock in an organic farm, but unlike "conventional farming" the products from that animal have to be withdrawn for a suitable period to allow it's clearance from said animal, which is entirely reasonable, and ensures there's no chance of residues ending up inside the customers.
As for the subject of your unreasoned loathing - badgers..... without going all over old ground again - the ONLY way to ensure killing badgers is successful in preventing TB spread is to completely wipe them out - all the trials have shown that culls actually tend to spread the disease wider, and the only reason they're looking at a nationwide cull is as a sop to farmers who are somewhat hacked off at losing their stock to government policy
(note my choice of words - not losses to TB, but losses because of government policy!)

Let us for some ghastly acid flash moment assume you get your way, and the air is full of the scent of burning badger corpses, an entire species wiped out on the altar of ignorance - and cows continue to get/spread/have the disease spread to them by wildlife -what's next on your list of creatures to be sacrificed - deer, rabbits, hares, all birdlife?.............. there you are, standing in this silent chemicalised barren wasteland, hot 12-bore in hand with no income, because the general public have long ago lost any sympathy they had for you and your ilk....
If only for selfish reasons, widespread culls of wildlife are NOT the way forward, we need changes of policy, treatment of infected animals, and vaccinations of both cows and suspected wildlife vectors...........application of intelligence, not blind brute force and ignorance!

Once again it seems that you dont know what your talking about bacause I think you'll find that the withdrawel period of antibiotics has to be adhered to by all farmers, not just organic farmers. There is tests done at all slaughterhouses and and positives are dumped, the farmer gets taken to court as well as losing the value of the animal.

Where did you get the idea that i want to cull badgers??? Quite the opposite, I was just pointing out that you had said that it was the cattle that spread the TB to the Badgers. And i quote "ghastly antibiotic-riddled bovine pests that are spreading TB to our wildlife due to widespread appalling husbandry and reliance on "chemicals". Sometines this may well be the case. But in my expaerence it is usually the other way round. We have an active badger set on our land and we have no problem with TB so its in my interests to let the badgers stay. Because if i did cull them (which i won't because its against the law) it would leave an empty set for other badgers to move into who may well be carrying TB. Its a case of better the devil you know.

Stiffy, apologys for the expletive. I get a bit wound up by people preaching about a topic that is close to my heard, especially when it seems they dont know all the information.

 

[susbees]

Think its safe to assume, had trouble with badgers then ?

Quite so.

Got a bit of weather over our way today have we not? Wonder if it's lunch-time yet...

 

[garethbryson]

Just to add to my last post. The company we supply milk to takes a sample of our milk EVERY DAY that gets tested for antibiotics(among other things) so all meat and milk withdrawal periods have to be adhered to, We are not an organic farm.