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Hmmphh.....well , I must say that I've learned quite a bit about chook care from my local farmer's wife ( although have adapted some things to be a bit more caring for the chooks.....)
And so..... having been left in her care for 10 days I returned to 9 healthy chooks and was pleased that all was fine.
UNTIL...we had a quick chat....

apparently one of the gals had gone broody and "as it's too early in the year to sit on eggs" she decided to stop her.
Nope- none of the dunking in cold water or sin binning her ...nope..no messing around- she did the time honoured/proved method of putting her in a box with no light, food or water ...for 4 DAYS
..said it always does the trick!...I bet it does!...poor little thing!!!!
I'd have thought she'd have been dead with no water for 4 days!
Ah well....don't think that'll be happening again with my chooks

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

That is just so wrong, someone should stick her in a box for 4 days.

My first thoughts Daz! ( well second actually after I recovered the power of speech)

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Erm I don't keep chickens and know nowt about them but WTF!!!

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poor chicken I bet she wouldn't leave all her chickens and go on holiday for 4 days without leaving them without feed and water which amounts to the same thing.


I'm sure with your love and care you lovely ladies will overcome the shock, poor little things

Did it work?

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yup!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Bet she was STARVING poor little thing. Not to mention dehydrated. Gosh!

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As foreign farmers,they obviously dont have the same sentimentality about animals that certain english people have.

To them its probably the accepted way of dealing with the problem.

Zeb, there is a huge difference between unsentimentality and cruelty. In our country, quite rightly, this would be classed cruelty. Keeping the broody contained is, I believe, accepted practice to break the broody cycle, but the withdrawal of food and water, especially water, is patently wrong.

Hope she's recovered ok Nicos, poor thing!

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Hmm..that's what I was thinking- so I can't get cross with her, I'll just make sure I have an alternative method for next time

She's been a fantastic help with them over the last year so I'm still very humbled to her knowledge!

As you say- it's clearly a method which works but I'd NEVER suggest anyone tries it - I bet the RSPCA would have a thing or two to say about it too if we were in England!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Did you slap her?

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Hayley B

An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for life

Dont get me wrong.. I wasn't agree'ing with it, just pointing out that it is probably the done thing over there.

That's disgusting not to mention cruel and a blatant disregard for the trust you put in her, I'd have been livid.
I don't keep chooks, but even I know that is SOOO wrong, I hope you didn't spoil your manners Nicos , lots of T.L.C for the poor chook, with luck she'll soon recover from this terrible ordeal.

NASTY NASTY neighbour????

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" A garden is a friend you can visit everyday! "

nope...I've got to make an effort to fit in...I've only been domicile here since Tuesday!!!!

Looks like one of the others has gone broody this morning- so I've just blocked access to the nesting boxes, so we'll have to hunt round for the eggs for the next few days!

They can be quite determined though can't they...last time one of the gals managed to rip off the chicken wire and squeeze trough a tiny gap to get in to the box just to fluff up and sit on nothing!
From the noise going on outside it sounds like one of them has laid!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

This is a tricky one, because I can well understand how you would not want to fall out with your neighbour, she has obviously been very helpful to you. However, leaving a chicken without water or food for 4 days is unacceptable, so I would think that next time you go away and need her to take care of your hens, you could suggest that if one goes broody, you would prefer it if she just leave it be, and take the eggs away. Then you can choose to "break" it yourself by a kinder method if you wish when you return.

Perhaps you could 'kindly' point out the error of her ways maybe suggest that sin bin is not so bad as long as they have food and water peut etre??

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Hayley B

An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for life

Actually- you'd never know...she's fine..I just hope that she's not claustrophobic when it comes to starting to lay- I wonder if she'll feel OK laying in a small box in future- we'll have to see.

..and nope- I don't think the neighbour was intending to be nasty- it's clearly the 'norm' here ( maybe for her generation)
There have been a lot of 'tricks of the trade' in the UK which were 'OK' in the past which are now considered cruel- I used to work for a horse dealer many moons ago and I'd never even contemplate writing up on an open forum some of the tricks of the trade she and her colleagues considered acceptable....best things like that get forgotten over the years.

I suppose it's a more extreme attitude of comparing Barbara Woodhouse's training methods to those of the Dog Whisperer's Cesar Millan??

Edit- except Mrs W was never cruel- just perhaps a bit less sensitive compared to Mr M

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

I lurve Cesar Milan...

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Hayley B

An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for life

Does it have apple, walnuts and croutons?

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Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 14th - Peas - I like peas!

www.henheaven.blogspot.com - Updated February 27th - Rooftops and Caulis

hands off....he's mine ( and so is Monty Roberts although he's no where near as attractive!!)

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

...here you go Flum! ( and Hayley!!)

YouTube - Up Close With "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan PT 1 of 3

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Couldn't say for sure ladies but I don't think youre his type

Glad your chook survived Nicos

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Groan, can't 'do' Utube no broadband here BTW didn't realise she did it to one of YOUR girls Nicos

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Hayley B

An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for life

PMSL, this was supposed to be a sympathy post, but I'm tittering like a loon now!


Sorry to hear your news Nicos. A little extreme I feel, but as has been said above, it's normal behaviour to her. She'd probably feel very bad if she knew how upset you are.

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Oh I don't know there Fi- I can do a wonderful drool and beg if push comes to shove!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

There's only one thing that worries me about Cesar Milan and that is the way he advocates exercising dogs on the lead on his bicycle or on rollerblades. That was frowned on as potentially cruel when I was young as the dog has little choice but to run to keep up. It still worries me.

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Supporter of the Binley knows Best Club

Isn't it illegal to cycle on the road with a dog on a lead in the UK? And Illegal to cycle on the pavement- so it's hard to see how that would work this side of the Atlantic.

Don't dogs just sit down when they've had enough exercise? I've heard of several peeps who have had to either pick up their dogs and carry them home- or wait for them to decide they'll walk back home but no further.
( I've never owned a dog- so forgive me if I'm talking utter rubbish)

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

No, you're right Nicos - some dogs just slap on all four brakes (a bit like a horse refusing the jump) and no amount of pulling will get them started again. Now just imagine the dog does that while you are dashing along on rollerblades... in Cesar style!
And dontya like the way I have woven it back the theme of cultural differences in what constitutes animal cruelty!

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Supporter of the Binley knows Best Club

skill...pure skill!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

Steady on - it wasn't that good! Displacement activity!

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Supporter of the Binley knows Best Club

I would sooner eat a snail (and have) than a crappy mechanically recovered meat product called a kebab which is the norm over here. I will agree to a certain extent that continental views of animal welfare are not quite to the same standard as ours.

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Snail is fine TBH...as are winkles/mussles etc
( for some reason I just couldn't imagine slug to be OK although they too are related to the snail!!)

Frog...nope- ...yet bunny and hare are OK with me...strange isn't it?

As to continental animal care ( and the rest of the world) utterly, utterly astounding- although I bet it's always been the same since the first caveman!

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"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

I wouldn't have thought it acceptable in any cuture to deprive an animal of water for 4 days.

My cat got herself shut in the airing cupboard for 2 days recently and drank for britain when she got out!

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janeyo

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That's disgusting, food maybe, but water. Sorry,but wouldn't have been able to keep my temper!