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Urban farmers too ignorant or squeamish to


Still Waters

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It is a noble dream for many - the state of self-sufficiency, with animals living contentedly in the garden alongside beds full of fruit and veg.

And as post-recession hardships continue to bite, the Good Life ambition may appear even more attractive.

The reality of course, is never so simple.Many 'townies' attempting to emulate Tom and Barbara in the classic BBC comedy simply do not know enough about caring for animals, the RSPCA has warned.

One owner did not realise sheep had to be sheared and one of his flock ended up looking like a small woolly mammoth.

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'Pigs like to root around, dig up mud and wallow in it, said Jo Barr, of the RSPCA.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248779/Townies-try-live-Good-Life-farm-animals-causing-havoc-RSPCA-look-them.html#ixzz0ei8ExDBX

Can see it all now; families of backyard urban pigs soak'n up the rays, run'n amok mak'n love and/or mak'n bacon for the owners.

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Being a farmer requires a LOT more than painting the barn pretty colors and having cute baby animals. It's thankless, smelly, labor intensive and just doesn't pay as well anymore.

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Farm animals shouldn't be kept in an urban setting, anyway. There's usually not enough room, even in a decent sized back yard.

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within reason i guess, people like to be self sufficient.

Maybe the smaller variety; few pet chickens, couple ducks (eggs) little lamb (later lamb roast) goat (no more hedging & mowing lawns), cow (milk), Pig (spare ribs...squeeeeeal!)...

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With all those roosters they probably were fighting each other all time.

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within reason i guess, people like to be self sufficient.

Maybe the smaller variety; few pet chickens, couple ducks (eggs) little lamb (later lamb roast) goat (no more hedging & mowing lawns), cow (milk), Pig (spare ribs...squeeeeeal!)...

laugh.gif.....i can just picture REBEL the farmer,lol............................i'm guessing your farm would be more on the spare rib sidew00t.gif.....but it;s so true......farms are a lot of hard smelly work...............i'm astounded that someone would own sheep and not even realize they had to be shearedblink.gif

Edited by cluey
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laugh.gif.....i can just picture REBEL the farmer,lol............................i'm guessing your farm would be more on the spare rib sidew00t.gif.....but it;s so true......farms are a lot of hard smelly work...............i'm astounded that someone would own sheep and not even realize they had to be shearedblink.gif

there are only two reasons to own a sheep or sheep and that is wool and food. goats and cows produce milk, goat milk is supposed to be better for humans and those who are lactous intolerant can usually drink goat milk. chickens and ducks produce eggs. if i had the means i would keep chickens and ducks(i heard you need a couple of ducks around to help keep the chickens safe.) and a couple of goats. my back yard is big enough for two goats and 12 chickens and 2 ducks.

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there are only two reasons to own a sheep or sheep and that is wool and food. goats and cows produce milk, goat milk is supposed to be better for humans and those who are lactous intolerant can usually drink goat milk. chickens and ducks produce eggs. if i had the means i would keep chickens and ducks(i heard you need a couple of ducks around to help keep the chickens safe.) and a couple of goats. my back yard is big enough for two goats and 12 chickens and 2 ducks.

so true......it's honestly more realistic to keep a small farm....much easier to handle...........let the experts keep looking after the large numbers.......

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there are only two reasons to own a sheep or sheep and that is wool and food. goats and cows produce milk, goat milk is supposed to be better for humans and those who are lactous intolerant can usually drink goat milk. chickens and ducks produce eggs. if i had the means i would keep chickens and ducks(i heard you need a couple of ducks around to help keep the chickens safe.) and a couple of goats. my back yard is big enough for two goats and 12 chickens and 2 ducks.

I'd like to know where you got the misinformation that ducks keep chickens safe. This is the kind of fallacy that got these people, and those poor animals, into the situation they are in...where they didn't know how to take care of them. A goat needs about an acre of land to graze and still needs feed and hay.

Paris Hilton and her pocketbook accessory pooch come to mind. It's cool to own them, but it's cruel, if you don't know how to take care of them.

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I'd like to know where you got the misinformation that ducks keep chickens safe. This is the kind of fallacy that got these people, and those poor animals, into the situation they are in...where they didn't know how to take care of them. A goat needs about an acre of land to graze and still needs feed and hay.

Paris Hilton and her pocketbook accessory pooch come to mind. It's cool to own them, but it's cruel, if you don't know how to take care of them.

from a person who raised both of them.

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from a person who raised both of them.

What are they keeping them safe from?

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What are they keeping them safe from?

you have never lived on a farm i take it?????........there are fox's.....depending on the country.....many wild,hungry vermin that kill chickens and many other animals on farms...............not that gekhos are a problem here.....but i have like 10-20 wild ones that come in and out of home day and night......there are awesome.....they catch mosquitoes,flies,ants.........................

Edited by cluey
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Oh, this is sad.

If you want to be a so-called "urban farmer", for God's sake buy an Omlet and have done with it.

Everyone buying eggs to find 'half are cockerels' are going to have a shock when they get bigger!

Maybe these people should comfort themselves with the notion that killing their animals is probably a lot kinder than keeping them because they can't bear to murder their little 'pets', then with that thought still fresh go out and wring a couple of rooster's necks and have a nice roast dinner :o

Too harsh? :innocent:

Pigs are messy. Period. Don't get one if you like your rockery in the style it is now. Goats will eat anything, and are wiley buggers. Don't get one if your neighbours have prize flowerbeds. Lambs... well, in theory you probably could keep one, fatten it up, but come on, how many people not used to it are going to be able to kill it/have it killed?

Another (related) thing that's been annoying me lately... micro pigs. Yes they are very cute, and are probably easier to care for than their full size counterparts, but everywhere advertises them as pets! They WILL still wreck your garden- they still need constant access to the outside, I don't care how small or cute they are. </rant>

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What are they keeping them safe from?

hawks and small prediters.

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you have never lived on a farm i take it?????........there are fox's.....depending on the country.....many wild,hungry vermin that kill chickens and many other animals on farms...............not that gekhos are a problem here.....but i have like 10-20 wild ones that come in and out of home day and night......there are awesome.....they catch mosquitoes,flies,ants.........................

You would be wrong.

I'll ask one more time......................how...do...ducks...keep...chickens...safe...from...predators?

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You would be wrong.

I'll ask one more time......................how...do...ducks...keep...chickens...safe...from...predators?

the way i understand it. they dont specifically protect the chickens they just protect their territory and if the chickens live in the territory with them.

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You would be wrong.

I'll ask one more time......................how...do...ducks...keep...chickens...safe...from...predators?

The only thing I can think of is perhaps foxes being discouraged by the amount of noise a p***ed off duck makes.

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And here I always thought having a rooster kept the chickens safe. We've had a couple of roosters and they are wicked evil when they want to be. Plus, if you keep the chickens in their hen house/chicken coop at night, they'll be relatively safe. During the day, there's usually too much going on and predators will keep their distance.

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All righty then...I hate to say it, but I think the person that told you that is full of bull, daniel. I've had turkeys, guineas, ducks and chickens...with the exception of size, in the case of the turkeys, predators aren't in the least deterred by a duck.

Edited by Michelle
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All righty then...I hate to say it, but I think the person that told you that is full of bull, daniel. I've had turkeys, guineas, ducks and chickens...with the exception of size, predators aren't in the least deterred by a duck.

We had guineas...dirty birds they are....

They might be thinking about a goose as opposed to a duck. Geese are great "guard dogs", though I don't know about their effectiveness at thwarting a hungry fox, et al.

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All righty then...I hate to say it, but I think the person that told you that is full of bull, daniel. I've had turkeys, guineas, ducks and chickens...with the exception of size, in the case of the turkeys, predators aren't in the least deterred by a duck.

Indeed... the best kind of protection you can have for them is a good strong fence with no holes or gaps and a well built coop. Depending on where you live, possibly a shotgun too.

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That reminds me of another commmon fallacy...that hens won't lay eggs without a rooster.

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That reminds me of another commmon fallacy...that hens won't lay eggs without a rooster.

:lol: it was really interesting explaining that to my kids when they were little.

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