Plank
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Posts posted by Plank
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Hello all,
I am off to the parrot show and "help birdkeepers" sale at Stafford tomorrow. Anyone know what time the doors open? Also I am thinking about getting a few canaries for my bird room and aviary while I am there. What types would people recommend? My Dad used to have Border canaries but I have read they have been over-bred and do not breed so easily these days. I have heard that Fifes are supposed to be easy to breed. What about lizard canaries or Glosters? Or any other suggestions?
Thanks,
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I'm no expert
but I've caught quite a few in traps designed for other species that were only 14 inches square and 3 foot long...... 
If they're hungry, they'll go in
In rural areas, I'd personally be looking at other options long before I worried about cages
I have a particular location in mind which limits the options. A bunch of poultry houses surrounded on three sides by a lane. A quiet lane but still public access. I have snared one or two foxes in the past on other areas of ground but cannot see how to do it here without being obvious that a fox was caught. I am cautious about using a firearm as there is no suitable backdrop. If small traps are viable I could tuck one away inside one of the coups.
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It looks very inventive. I notice the fox traps sold locally all seem to have shrunk, the used to be about six or seven feet long, three or four feet high and the same wide. Now they are only about four or five feet long, about two feet wide and three feet high. My first instinct is they are a bit pokey for rural foxes. Am I wrong?
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Snaring would be cheaper
Well, if you are going to give them personal attention...
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I have had a go at making a Olsen & Thompson style fly trap (chapter 9 "More trap making step by step" John Bryan). In case anyone is intrested I used a large clear plastic beaker, with a mesh side vent, as the catch chamber. The wire mesh I got by cutting up a wire sieve - okay in the end but tricky to make a funnel out of as oddly elastic.
Anyway, I think it sorta works as it seems to be able to catch lots of tiny fruit flies. Even if they can eventually squirm through the mesh vent. The problem is I was hoping for house flies, there are always some in the kitchen. I have been using pickle juice, vinegar and sugar as suggested for house flies in chapter 9. I have been able to regularly look at the trap today but they seem to be paying it no attention at all. Can anyone suggest a bait that would attract house flies and that the feminine members of the household would fine acceptable indoors?
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Hello,
Does anyone know where to buy make your own incubator kits?
Thanks.
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This is the most entertaining thing I have seen all day.
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Another point to consider is that there is NO legal requirement to check kill traps that have been set for rats on a daily basis, whereas causing (what a magistrate considers to be) unnecessary suffering to a rat caught in a cage trap could be complicated.
I had not realised that there was no requirement to check a break back trap set for rats daily. That does sound like the best solution.
Excuse what maybe a silly question, but would a unbaited run through set for mice work? (Using a mouse trap and smaller access holes).
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There's nothing wrong with a monarch in the right circumstances
BUT... I'd suggest it's not the ideal trap for the circumstances you describe.
A few break back traps set in tunnels or even bait boxes are simple and easy to set and check:
No need to bait; with boxes like the AF and similar available from SX and all the usual suppliers you can set the Kness Snap-E as a simple run through.
Of course, the other issue with using the monarch, or any cage trap for that matter is that if successful, you have the dispatch problem which I'd suggest for someone who is not even confident with a Fenn, could be an issue:
Thanks for the baitless break back tip. It is a pretty cool idea. What tempts me about the monarch is that it is checkable at a glance even from a distance, so easy and quick to do as part of the routine of working in the area. I understand that dispatch in a cage trap is a job that would need doing for her in a timely way, but they are only precautionary traps. I am not expecting to use them to catch all the time.
Out of interest, do the springs of break backs, Fenns etc. fatigue if left set for very long periods without firing?
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Hello all.
I want to set a couple of rat traps on a precautionary basis. It would make life easier if a younger teenager could check them sometimes. I have some Fenns but I do not want her messing about with spring traps just yet.
I am currently considering getting a Monarch rat trap. Are they a reliable trap or a bit gimmicky? Any tips on using them?
Thanks.
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Speaking as a farmer, it is considered good practice to keep livestock away from chain harrowed molehills for 24 hours.
Thanks Plank,
This is exactly the type of post I look forward to reading on here, informative without just showing off, no real use to cowboys and adding something (in this case the 24 hour exclusion) to my own knowledge.
No problem. In practice a lot of farmers do not bother too much unless there is a specific reason, for example they have older ewes during late pregnancy from breeds which are more susceptible.
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everything we touch is near enough covered in bacteria, its as much apart of life as we are, most healthy things are not affected maybe thats natures reason for its existence
For every human cell in your body there are ten times as many microbes.
What's this? R2 factoids lol
It is no good asking me about R2 - I am under 35.
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And also in my defence there's load of information on mole catching on the internet and in books across the country so if someone was adamant on getting some tips I'm sure they could find them.
I do not think you need a defence. As I see it the point of this website is to share best practice between trappers. That is why there are so many trapping tips in the archives, including all the ones you mentioned. Also why it hosts trapping articles on various subjects. To me a bunch of lads congratuating themselves on not telling anyone anything, other than how great they are, is one of the most boring things I can imagine.
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Mr Muddy:
"Also are you suggesting that the soil from the molehills should be removed from the site if there are livestock or horses present?"
Most of the harmful bacteria in mole hills are anaerobic bacteria. Which means they normally live without oxygen present. Speaking as a farmer, it is considered good practice to keep livestock away from chain harrowed molehills for 24 hours. The theory is that when the soil is scattered and the bacteria are exposed to oxygen, most of the harmful ones slowly die off.
If mole hills get included in silage they are then stored in anaerobic conditions allowing the bacteria to thrive.
Another thing to be aware of is that tetanus can live in anaerobic soil mixed with sheep or cattle manure. So it is sensible to get your shots.
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everything we touch is near enough covered in bacteria, its as much apart of life as we are, most healthy things are not affected maybe thats natures reason for its existence
For every human cell in your body there are ten times as many microbes.
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Some of you probably know about this already, but it was new to me. The 'European Squirrel Initiative' publishes a regular newsletter on red and grey squrriels. Including trapping hints, damage caused by greys and so on.
http://www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org/newsletter.html
They also publish a trapping guide
http://bit.ly/squirreltrapguide
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Hi all
I am new to Canary breeding. I have just noticed one of the chicks I have bred perches normally with one foot but for it's other the rear toe folds into the foot. It does not seem to get such a good grip but it copes. If I manipulate the toe it seems to articulate normally, but then perches back how it was.
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Nought wrong with peanut butter on its own do you want to trap them or fine dine them ?.
I should not laugh as I am sure Pete was only trying to help. But that made my night.
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Just look at where the runs are already and use them to set your tunnels ........
Look and mark the fences now as to where the runs are,whilst the grass is high and the runs are evident. Rabbits will often use the same runs. So use that to your advantage.
If you come across rabbits hurdeling a fence or wall in the same spot on a regular basis. What would you do to use this to your advantage??
The grass is all very short. Eaten in the field by sheep and under the hedge by rabbits, I suppose. I know most of you guys could tell at a glance where the runs are but I am seriously bad at snaring rabbits. I have even tried snaring in the snow in the past but never caught.
I am keen to get rid of these rabbits as we are planning to re-seed an adjacent field in the autumn and don't want them to make a mess. Mostly I can clear the area by setting Fenns down holes, something I have been successful at. However I can see (in the distance) rabbits leaving the field to these burries where I can't access the holes. They are very shy as my neigbour insists they are controlled by his air-rifle wielding mate. Having seen his mate in action it is a only a shame I can not sell tickets.
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Fence snare them coming through the pig mesh fence
This particular section is overlooked by a cottage. At a fair distance but I thought drab tunnels would be more discreet. Besides, although I have managed to snare a few foxes I have never managed to snare a rabbit. Despite watching Glenn Waters' DVD and getting snares from Trapworks.
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Just look at where the runs are already and use them to set your tunnels ........
After my failed attempt at snaring in another field, I am not very confident I could set them in the right place. The grass has been nibbled short all around but not worn away in any particular runs.
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Hello all,
A field boundary hedge bottom is a haven for rabbits and I think trapping is the way to go. I am considering ovelapping the existing pig netting with a smaller rabbit proof mesh, then making rabbit sized holes in it for tunnel traps. What is the minimum length of netting to be worth doing and how far apart should the holes be?
Thanks.
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It has emerged that the RSPCA has free access to the police national database, in return for a fee, but without any legal basis.
http://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2013/07/the-rpsca-will-pnc-you-now.html
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If it stops that f*ckin yapping Piece of shit next door to me I'm all for it, it's a tiny havense type thing, when anyone passes the house its on the window sill yapping away, and the 1st thing they do no matter what day it is Saturday Sunday whatever 7-8am in the morning they open the back door let the f*cking thing out into the garden yapyap yap feckin yap.
From what you have said I do not think it will. If the dog is inside the house it would not be covered, unless it was aggressively barking at someone also inside with permission. Nor would it be covered if it was outside randomly yapping rather than barking at someone.
If you are willing to risk falling out with your neigbours you could complain to the council's environmental heath dept. If they consider the noise the dog is causing to be unreasonably interfering with your 'enjoyment' of your property (depends on noise levels, times it is barking, how long for etc) then they could tell your neigbours to limit the noise or face a fine.
In other words, rules against nuisance noise already exist. The proposed new law covers barking at tresspassers (as well as biting people breaking into sheds etc). Check out the links.
Hushpower .410 cleaning
in Rimfire, Centrefire & Shotguns
Posted
Hello,
I have been bequeathed a single shot Pedretti 410 with a Hushpower moderator. I am not very experienced with shotguns but I have been trying to clean it. Unfortunately to get all the rust off the action I have damaged the blueing around the action so it looks like I will need to re-blue it. I am thinking of using the Birchwood Casey Perma blue kit. Does anyone have any tips or advice?
Also although the barrel looks clean inside I have got some bits down it from when I was cleaning the rust from around the breech. So I tried to use an oily rag as a pull through. Rather than drag the muck down the barrel I thought I would drag from muzzle to breach. I was met with a strange sound as the rag just went up inside the barrel. After carefully extracting it the way it had come I saw there are what look like spaced out washers just inside the muzzle. Is it normal for these to be exposed or have I moved something inside the barrel? As I am trying to clean it thoroughly do I need to try to take the moderator apart to see if there is any rust inside? If so how?
Thanks for taking the time.