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zek

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Posts posted by zek

  2. Rat box

    in Working Dog Health & Training Talk

    Posted

    Some rats (it only takes one) can turn canabalistic and steal the young shortly after they're born. Throw in a big dog bone as they love meat and marrow and something to chew on, and it takes their mind off eating pinkies.

     

    I'll be very suprised if the adults don't suffocate the young - rats love companionship, and I've lost countless litters because of 12 adults piled on top. However, if you get away with it, let me know as I'm always open to ideas.

     

    As you say, water is very important - it's amazing how much of it they drink.

    And apart from tumors as they get older, mine have been very disease-free and trouble free.

    A superb food for raptors - fresh, warm and still twitching!

     

    Atb,

    Zek.

     

     

    Now that looks really good. I used to have a hutch system raised up off the ground. You might have a problem with lack of ventilation in the nest boxes, as it will get quite warm in there - I had that problem - the timber was continually damp, and it wasn't very healthy for the rats. The wire floor is a good idea. Another problem I encountered was when the young were born, other females piled in on top of the litter and they died.

     

    I'm wondering about a concrete area, 8' x 8' wired off, partially covered with separate nestboxes here and there. It would be a walk-in afair, and could be power hosed occassionally. It would be nice to have something fairly maintenance free.

     

    Zek.

    Zek-I just copied this set up off a falconer that fed everything he had from a set up like this.Just as long as the food was there with water he had no problems let them go a day without....It was like lord of the flies survival of the fitest. The first to go were the young and up from there. I through in and old newpaper in and its gone in a night.

  3. Rat box

    in Working Dog Health & Training Talk

    Posted

    Now that looks really good. I used to have a hutch system raised up off the ground. You might have a problem with lack of ventilation in the nest boxes, as it will get quite warm in there - I had that problem - the timber was continually damp, and it wasn't very healthy for the rats. The wire floor is a good idea. Another problem I encountered was when the young were born, other females piled in on top of the litter and they died.

     

    I'm wondering about a concrete area, 8' x 8' wired off, partially covered with separate nestboxes here and there. It would be a walk-in afair, and could be power hosed occassionally. It would be nice to have something fairly maintenance free.

     

    Zek.

  4. Rat

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    Yes, I've a Kestrel and a Buzzard, and use the rats for feeding. Having said that, I haven't bred any now for a couple of months - I don't have an ideal system for bringing on large quantities of young ones. I like the look of your hutch - Has it got wire mesh on the inside? What about wire mesh on the floor for their droppings? Btw, I can't access your link to your previous post.

     

    thanks,

    Keith.

  6. Rat

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    Her temperament is fine - tho' it's important to handle them young, even more so in this case. I suspect, in some measure, breeding with wild stock is not to be recommended as it may produce a nervous/wild rat. I suppose it's a bit like crossing a wolf with a domestic breed of dog. However, I did want the 'real McCoy' or as close as possible!

     

    Zek.

  10. Digging a well

    in General Talk

    Posted · Edited by zek

    I'm wondering about having a well or spring at the end of my garden. I'm thinking of having a pond, and a water supply for plants and livestock. There's a few springs in the neighbourhood. My neighbour has a spring just a few feet from our fence that fills his pond nearby. However, there's no access for vehicles. I wonder if there is a company in Ireland that specializes in this type of business?

     

    Zek.

  13. Old Timer

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Sorry, mate; What the f*ck Does " DV " mean? Only it's honestly bugging the shit out of me and I just can't work it out! :icon_redface:

     

    I means 'God willing' - I think it's Latin, but I'm not sure - some folk in the west say 'please God'. Simply put, I'm not presumming.

     

    That aside; Good on ye for working on ye 'Family Tree' :good: I'm at it most days and nights here myself. In fact, I've just finished a particularly gruelling session this evening. Great though, isn't it?

     

    Sometimes it's fun, sometimes I think, 'what's the point?'. Sometimes I think 'there's a lifestyle in these few miles of countryside, that needs recording before it's totally lost - more important maybe than my family tree'.

     

    I'll hope to get back to this when I'm a bit fresher. Mheanwhile, I can't help but wonder at ye apparrent amazement of the mans life style ~ I live in a similar property and manner myself. I wouldn't change it for the world either. Never been so contented :)

     

    :thumbs:

     

    Probably the biggest differance is that I have a computer. Someone suggested only tonight that they knew where I could pick up a free tv? I laughed in their face and told them; If I ever came home to find one of those things on my property, it'd be smashed and dumped before I even sat down! :laugh:

     

    Don't have a TV myself, or a mobile phone - and I burn mostly turf, tho' I do use a grate in the fireplace :D

     

    Honestly; That man is Living! :yes:

     

    Agreed

     

    Zek.

  14. Old Timer

    in General Talk

    Posted

    In the course of researching my family tree, I chance upon this far out relative a couple of days ago. Living up a long lane on the edge of the Sperrin mountains (Northern Ireland), he's coming 77 yrs of age, keeps a few sucking cows, and apart from a few cats, he lives all alone. And I almost forgot, he bakes his own bread. I didn't have long to spend with him, but in the short time that I was there, the stories and memories were awesome. I intend to call back DV. I remember, 20 years ago there were a few such homes in that part of the country, but most of the folk have passed on - this could well be the last of its kind in this area. I get that urge coming over me that something here needs recording, before it passes away completely!

     

    Now here's the question - I know that similar characters and homesteads were commonplace across these islands once upon a time, but how many are left today in 2007? What about the West of Ireland, the Yorkshire Dales, the Scottish Highlands etc?

     

     

    Zek.

    post-1826-1186704253.jpg

    post-1826-1186704265_thumb.jpg

  16. Shooting greys?

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    yes it is its ear :thumbs:

     

     

    :icon_redface: Well, you learn something ever day!

     

    I've included the story of the seal I mentioned (previously posted on a skull collecting group).

    And btw, I've still got the skull. Ah, memories!

     

    "I remember about 13 years ago, working as

    temporary manager in a supermarket, in the West of Ireland.

    One evening, after work, while exploring the

    coastline I chanced upon a dead grey seal - very fresh and

    with what looked like a bullet hole in his forehead.

    Being unprepared and unequiped (shame on me), I made my

    way to a nearby village (very rural), to purchase a

    knife. The only shop open (it was after 8.00pm) was a

    small grocery shop, but he didn't sell knives. He asked

    me what I wanted it for, and being put in the spot,

    I had to confess, "I want to cut the head off a

    seal". You would have thought folk down there were

    cutting seal heads off every day - he never flinched, but

    reaching behind the meat counter, he produced the required

    knife, and gave it to me. I offered to buy it, but he

    told me just to leave it back with him when I was

    finished. It took me a long time to remove the head, - a

    lot of fat, and a saw would have been better, but I

    managed, and returned the knife as promised. Now I had the

    problem of where to keep the seal head (I wasn't going

    home for another 5 days!). My landlady didn't seem the

    type who would appreciate a seals' head in her

    freezer, so I wrapped it in bin liners and put it in the

    only place I could think of - the bottom of the

    ice-cream freezer in the supermarket where I was working!

    Thankfully no-one found it and I got it home sucessfully.

    Interestingly, when the flesh was removed, I expected a bullet

    hole in the skull - but there wasn't!

    P.S. Seals are not the lightest of animals to try to

    manoever into butchery position - I couldn't budge him!"

     

     

    Zek.

  17. Shooting greys?

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    I really love the first shot. Note the small scar behind his left eye. I've noticed this once on a dead seal - it was between the eyes, but slightly higher. I assumed it was the entry wound of a .22 or something similar. However, when I cleaned the skull, there was no mark on the bone. I then assumed the bullet had passed through the flesh, missing the actual skull - I doubt if this would kill the animal tho'. So back to the drawing board - maybe these scars are simply marks left from fights.

     

    Zek.

  18. Huge hairy fly!

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    Hope I'm not hijacking this thread - what about the flat greyish coloured fly (bit bigger than a house fly), that is found between the feathers of a bird. A couple of times I've picked up a roadkill Owl or Jackdaw, and the next thing, one of these flys is on my arm. I've slapped them, sqeezed them, swipped them, to no avail, I just can't kill them. They really give me the creeps - Anyone got a name for them?

     

    Zek.

  24. sea holly

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted

    in the 'Galway Bay' district. Maps are a bit dodgy for me to decipher right now. But they might well be saying Mayo too.

     

    Try the right habitat on the Mullet Pen. if you're ever out that way - I reckon there's plants and animals out there still to be discovered :)

     

    Zek.

  25. big cat...

    in Wildlife and General Photography

    Posted · Edited by zek

    You can see the marks left by his toe nails just in front of the toe prints.

     

    You can see the partial registration of the other foot as well - should be able to tell if he was walking slow or fast, but I've long since forgotten the method.

     

    Zek.

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