PossumCorner

Starting with yet another good intention of finishing (but not exactly putting money on it). 1/52 Early morning, a young Crested Dove on the laneway gate. 2/52 Galahs competing for who gets to sit on top of an uncomfortable steel fence-post/dropper/star picket. Whatever the name, the game goes on ..... 3/52 ...... and on.

Lovely shots both. Ash: "I endorse full-cream for bright eyes and a shiny coat". (Or: who raided the garbage?).

No, more a non-acceptance in some nutrition research circles of all the stuff we read (credible research and otherwise) that talks of vitamin uptake/non-uptake between egg yolk and egg white, and whether one counteracts the effect of the other (or not) and the possible cause of imbalance of other food and the tiny amounts that might throw everything out of whack anyway. I didn't take it all on board, just accepted that benefits of feeding them could be outweighed by safety on not feeding eggs, and took the advice to give them a miss. I find "no eggs" just as easy as "ad lib eggs" to manage. I cannot be bothered finding a middle road though of one just now and then: what they don't get they don't ask for. (They both still look good for 16ish).

Is that a Mary look-alike on the far right? And the one standing up to the bale, does it have an extra large head-set, difficult to see - do you have any closer shots of that one?

Yes Perseph that's my experience, puppies to oldies. And going cold-turkey with eggs for dogs on the vet's advice wasn't that I totally believe the reasoning. I trust the vet I use to know better way better than I do for 'most' things, and don't like to cherry-pick the advice, I take all of it (in case the bits I think "oh won't worry about that" come back to bite me on the bum). edit: too hot, can't spell.

I know Maremmas (not mine) including litter of pups now 12 weeks old that eat eggs ad-lib, large quantities, and seem perfectly okay no problems. I used to feed eggs regularly to our dogs because of good supply - didn't notice any problems. However my vets said recently they are anti allowing dogs to eat any eggs, fresh or cooked, and would prefer they weren't given any at all. They were well over how professional opinion is divided. So I don't feed any - Rheneas might steal one from a nest now and then, not often. I forget the science of it, was more interested in accepting vet's advice than looking into the techy reasons for it. From lots of eggs to no eggs, haven't noticed any difference in condition or general health (except they are both now in the 16-17 years age range, so all the health glitches that often go with the age group - sight, hearing, stiffness etc). Piper (the Rottie) used to eat lots of new-laid eggs, mostly un-cracked, swallowed whole. We lost her to bone cancer at 14 years, don't think there was any connection but who knows.

Welcome Fairy Floss. If you look at this recent thread you might get the help you need, good luck, if any questions ask at the end of Paul's thread for continuity. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/268206-puppy-photos/ Edit - corrected link.

Yes I have some old shots in the 'Bucket that were lost in various computer melt-downs. Likewise Smugmug which I like a bit better than Photobucket, they are more alike now than they started out, both easy for uploading to dol. Paul77 a PhotoBucket account is free, - (and easy step by step talk-through).

All of which underlines what a stinking rotten business insurance is. type delete, no point going on about it. Brokers are your best allies, direct with the companies is like Red Riding Hood asking the Big Bad Wolf about recipes. Ask more brokers, or banks, even ones that don't hold your mortgage (if any) won't charge for a first consult, and will know what's available.

Terrific work for the year Scottsmum, but your last shot is "the one" - just beautiful. That would be worth doing something in the large and framed cat - canvas print or under glass.

I think our reasoning is that Rainbow Bridge is to acknowledge the passing of our dogs, to share the grief of loss, the eulogy and the condolences. Every post there is so very personal and individual to that dog. If general discussions are included it loses something special. Thanks P777.

Clever Mary! We just had a problem with grass-seeds in a sheep's hoof. I hate them with a passion, tons of steel-sharp corkscrew (elodia) at the moment - winds into the ponies manes - dogs' pads and sheep faces also suffer, and the barley grass near eyes is as dangerous and nasty but at least easier to remove.

Just bumping while looking again at the great shots the 'stayers' have continued adding. Nearly over the line.

That's good news, reduces the stress levels. Good to see this post revisited - 2 yrs old - to follow Jonah's recovery as well.

Not practical given the area and other use of the lanes, not wanting electric for some of the other animals. Funny you mention it today, I was moving a water tub for ponies this morning and brushed against a hot wire that keeps them from harassing the ram from water on his side of the fence. Picked myself up off the ground. Yep, good charge.

I'm glad you said that tdierikx, wondered what 'normal' people thought of leaving them a regular meal. As I've said I am on most of the nastybook groups of the animals I keep, and sometimes they are helpful (sifting out the rabid stupid and old wives tales element) but all push their own wheelbarrow so it's not always professional opinion. The anti-fox brigade are everywhere. And if they get onto some anecdotal information about people feeding foxes, they literally foam at the mouth. (As in, building up a healthier stronger population that will over-run the country; those doing it should be shot; more of the same). So I think about it for sure, glad I'm not a lone voice/thought. Nothing to lose. The negative is that duck is a fox's absolute favourite food: they will by-pass easy picking chooks to look for duck. The other negative is bunnies: there are so many rabbits around, and with a bit of myxie going through just now they are wandering around as easy to grab, and less risk than poultry. So I don't totally think a free food source will keep them from the ducks they like best as their first option. But it's worth giving a go for a while to see what happens. And will keep very quiet about it on the local graziers grapevines, let alone the book. It's definitely another chisel in the toolbox, and would be a bonus if some photography could be involved. I'd lace it with anti-mange tablets too if the system worked. Anything along those lines that is fox-compatible?

RuralPug I can't take on another dog while Frodo and Rheneas are such old doggies, very frail, they would not understand or cope. Several friends have Maremmas or Bernese Mntn Dogs as guards, mixed success (one lost some chooks to foxes two nights ago, that horrendously hot night, the usually active Maremmas slept through it all, quelle embarrassment!! I have six alpacas, they are wonderful guards but can't be in every field at once, and they also need to sleep sometimes. With this particular fox, it was the ex-trotters that first saw him, the alpacas closed ranks and went on the alert, that's how I knew a fox was in sight and on the move. Just luck I was there and saw the horses and alpacas reacting, the fox wasn't intimidated by them, knew it only had to hop a fence if they moved to chase it. When the alpacas are in the duck paddock it is a disaster: that is our orchard, and they are the fastest young fruit-tree destroyers on the face of the earth. Well, maybe second to sheep. Or horses. Or the bloody goats (which I also love). Kirislin I agree about trapping, I 'trapped' an ill fox in a house once, getting someone to come dispose of it was pretty harrowing all round.

Thanks DD - yes he'd be over a metre long, felt so priveliged and yes a bit in awe. It's good to see a fellow this size surviving in fairly cleared sheep country where even remnant vegetation is at risk.

Yes Pudden has missed his calling, who would have thought!

Thanks for confirming male - I was not sure either way. Been here five years, lost many chooks to foxes, sold my last guinea fowl as they were being targeted severely - wasn't fair. Ducks, geese are the hardest to protect, constant challenge. Less foxes around this year, I think some shooting since the bounty was re-introduced had some effect. Fox mange is a dreadful thing, feel so sorry for the ones who have it badly: I wonder if that has also reduced population pressure. But there are still enough around to need daily and nightly vigilance, it's an ongoing thing. They broadly have a territory of spots to check out, and are sometimes very predictable as to this paddock at midnight, that one at 3.00am - then change the routine when they know you know. Often think of your foxes: there is so much 'hate mail' about them on the 'book, and people bat on about the evils of fox rescue people as if banning pet foxes in any form would solve their inadequacy. I'd never poison, couldn't do it. Traps might work but not in the budget - and when one is caught another just takes up the territory. Not being defeatist, well maybe a little bit (and Kirislin I think went through the difficulty of disposal of trapped fox, not a walk in the park). And becos this is photos thread not PossumCorner's fox woes, look what I saw down the road yesterday!! Not many around here, too many small country roads I think, farm trucks don't seem to slow for wildlife, ask the echidnas.

Tks people. Yes Kirislin - the fence is low, but it clearly shows how they can and will climb if they choose - something a lot of the fantasybook chook group people seem in denial of. When I suggested he leave, he flew up the field and this time took the fence like a show-jumper. I was just sooo lucky to be there, it was all things coming together: usually I let the ducks and geese out at 7.30am, so normally would just not have been around at 11.00. But I slept in, first time for years, and had to fix baby lambs' feed first. So didn't let chooks etc out til 10.30 - then I had the camera with me so stopped by the dam to look for bird shots. Saw the trotters snorting and circling around, then the alpacas arced up in the next paddock, all looking the same way. Had to be a fox, so I froze and waited, a magpie dive-bombed it a few times then flew off bored, a sheep distracted it from looking in my direction, and it came up a few hundred metres right past me and on to the orchard fence. For sure I was conflicted how soon to stop it cold, but I did want to see where it came from and went, and where it chose to try its luck first, so waited til the last moment to see it off. Shooting is not an option - the ponies are too close, plus the next-door Clydies one side, and stud Merinos the other side. My lot this morning, pointedly camping under a field shelter being built for them, subtle as! And the neighbours over the fence: Plus my trotters -

Whether more confident or just hungrier, foxes in the day-time are a bigger problem with poultry than the night time raiders. At night you can lock your chooks up securely, but when they are on free pasture through the day it's impossible. This fox was so intent on my ducks for morning tea it didn't see me watching it. The horses and alpacas gave a warning that something was around, but it slipped around them behind the dam to come up to the house yard. Peers over the bank to see if the coast is clear: didn't see me beside a fence-post as a magpie distracted it. Up the laneway to the little orchard where it knows the ducks spend the day. Energy saving climb over fence into orchard instead of a leap Touch-down Into full speed with the ducks only ten metres away, close to where I was standing. Isn't the camouflage amazing, you can be next to one and not see a thing. "I DON'T THINK SO" I said - shock horror, poor fox took off quicker than I could take another photo, and lives to try another day, which it will, which is very worrying.

Doesn't sound like they are expiring from boredom, bless 'em. The thing with your gang is that they do have a fantastic life when off the chain. And that even when off duty and having kennel time, someone keeps an eye, knows that they are okay, cares. I do bleed for some of the "working dogs" in our area. Most have terrific owners but some - well there's just not enough work for the dogs to be needed that often, and they don't have warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer kennels, it's sad to hear them crying with the cold some nights, they just have sad lives. One farmer up the road walks his kelpies a couple of kilometres on their non-working days, it's sort of unusual to see sheep-dogs on leads going along the road for walkies just as if it were the suburbs, and they love it.

Yours are lovely Boronia - we've always called them Autumn Crocus, it's all very parochial and regional this common name thing. So I've learned today that I have been doing it wrong all my life with these. Just found a lovely short piece from Lambley Nursery that explains it in words of one syllable, the subtle difference between crocus and colchicum. (And mentions your Rain Lily). http://lambley.com.au/garden-notes/autumn-crocus-autumn-crocus-and-autumn-crocus The one I've always wanted a thousand or two of is the Crocus Sativa which produces saffron if you are lucky with cultivation and have time to do the nitty gritty harvesting involved. Not to get rich, but enough to sell a little for fun. Then we moved to a climate which would not support them, oh well, another dream dissolved. Naked Ladies do brilliantly here in the drought country, they are always last man standing around old derelict farm houses when everything else has died, even tough roses and such. As Perseph said, they are glorious.

Mostly on the event photographers' websites, they're the only ones with free time on the day for photos (many exceptions of course). And it's a hassle for owners to get around copyright to put bought images on-line. Dogs like Canetoad's who are truly fit as part of their lifestyle (as opposed to just a daily walk or two) aren't that common. Spotted Devil has great shots of the dogs working in the field. Mine are old doggies and can just meander in the back yard in fair weather - but back in the day:- Frodo's flying days are over, - at 16+ he's still a joy to have around.