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Posted on 10/04/2005 9:56:41 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.
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Previous threads:
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The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
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The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
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I did have a dream he came back... but I was living in my childhood home in the dream, that should have clued me in that it was just a dream. I dreamed that a neighbor took him to a turkey farm miles away, and he came back a long time later, beat up by turkeys and blind in the other eye too.
I'll get pictures later, when it warms up:)
Since Sunday, I've heard of 2 other people who lost their barns to the wind, and one to the fire. One of the barns that blew over was a brand new one, the wind just pulled it up right out of the ground. I feel fortunate now that at least some of mine was saveable.
Another good thing that is coming out of this is all the plywood sheets that we had lined the inside of the barn with are still in good shape except for a few inches that were down by the ground. We will have enough now left from the destroyed stalls to use in the house to replace some flooring we need to before we put down new floor covering. 3/4 inch plywood is now $39 a sheet. That will save us a bunch fixing the floor.
I guess that old saying "there is no great loss without some small gain" is proving to be true:)
Becky
Well he could still show up. I wouldn't give up hope completely yet.
Speaking of missing critters, one of my roosters have disappeared. I've seen no coyotes, so I'm wondering without the roof on the barn if maybe an owl swooped down and got him. The one rooster I have left (the only chicken I have now) hid all day yesterday under some equipment that is still in the barn. Who says chickens aren't smart:)
Becky
Gotta love that!
Have you seen him since the storm? maybe he blew over to the neighbors in the wind... "I can fly!"
You have owls big enough to pick up a grown chicken? We just have little ones... We have Golden and Bald Eagles, but I'd think even they would have a hard time flyin' with a grown chicken weighing them down.
Good deal about the barn! I'm glad Mack was able to salvage so much of it. Building materials have really gotten outrageous since all the hurricanes. I look forward to the pics.
One of my friends had an owl take one of her grown cats off the roof one night. She didn't see it happen, but she did see the claw marks in his back when she found him out in the woods. This cat had the habit of lounging on the peak of the roof and since she had seen and heard the owls before she assumed that one of them did it. The cat didn't make it, probably because the owl dropped him.
I'd imagine a cat wouldn't be fun to carry and fly at the same time. We've worried about the eagles at the baech house picking up my brother's kitty, but she's a mean thing. She can twist around and bite hard! We picture the eagle picking her up and having to drop her too, only 100 yards out over the water.
I hope your kitty comes home soon. Don't give up hope yet. My son's cat went missing for 2 weeks. Finally, he went door to door in his neighborhood asking if anyone had seen the cat. Later that day, his cat was sitting on the doorstep waiting to be let in. We think a neighbor had kept him indoors so he couldn't leave!
Funny that he showed up the same day we knocked on doors looking for him!
LOL...no I've seen him since the storm. He was here the day after. I just noticed him being gone yesterday.
Yes we have owls big enough to carry off a chicken.
Years ago we use to haul trash, and had an old pickup with ply wood side panels that we used. At that time we had one big rooster and about 6 hens, but no barn. The hens use to go under the house to roost but the rooster roosted on the panels of the pickup, right over the cab. Mack cussed him all the time because he left quite a mess on the roof and windshield.
Any way one evening before it got really dark Mack was sitting here in the office and could see the truck with the rooster perched on it. He saw a big owl swoop down grab the rooster and start to take off. I guess the rooster wasn'te quite asleep yet (they are pretty dopey and easy to catch once they have been on the roost for awhile),and started to put up a big fight. They crashed to the ground and rolled around for awhile, the rooster finally got away and ran under the house with then hens. After that, he was under the house every night waaaaaaay before it even started to get dark. It was pretty funny. I think if it hadn't been quite so early in the evening the owl would have been able to haul him off. Chickens almost get comatose when they're roosting. Mack said the owl was bigger then the rooster
Becky
Thanks I haven't lost all hope, but I've lost a lot of it. I just saw the coyote again when I was out surveying snow and limb damage on the fence.
I have my capaletti meat cooking. UUUMMMMMMM....nothing smells better then onions and garlic sauteing in real butter with chicken and pork steak.
I have to cook it ahead of time, because it has to be cold to grind it.
Becky
Huh - I've seen those great big owls in pictures, but it's hard to imagine how big they are without something to give scale.
Sounds yummy smelling. :~D I took some winter pictures when I was out walking the fenceline clearing snow... Will upload. :~D
Saw the coyote too... close - 40 yards or so - outside our back forty fence. I surprised him while he was pouncing on something on the ground. I yelled and scared him off before turning the camera on, I must be slipping. :~D Too bad too, it would have been a pretty picture against the snow.
You know you might try looking on the internet to find a way to trap that coyote. A friend of ours was telling me how to do it. You have to kind of see where they are coming in at under your fence and put it there. From my understanding it's some type of wire that they step in and it catches them then you shoot them. Or call animal control about getting a trap from them....
Sounds like your coyote is getting very comfortable. I'd hate to have him around getting a taste for cat with your littles one there now.
Becky
We don't see them often, in fact I've only seen them at night for seconds when they get caught in the light of a car. They only come out at night. I've always wondered where they go during the day, you'd think you might see one once in a while in a tree as often as I ride thru the woods. But I never have. They are really big, and really heavy.
Becky
I just looked up in the bird book about owls. There is one "Great Horned Owl" and my book is showing you have them up there year round too. They are 22" long, and can take prey as large as skunks.
For scale:
Becky
I know... but at least they'll be able to climb trees... the big old orange tom couldn't he was too fat. He'd get about a foot up the tree, hang for a minute, and then heve to drop down. It was kinda comical.
When I yelled at the coyote he was gone like a shot, he didn't see me coming. But I agree on being pretty unhappy with the current situation. Interestingly enough, I had intentionally left the dogs in the house because I wanted to look for tracks in the snow out there and didn't want the dogs messing them up. I didn't see any inside our fence.
Aren't they cool looking! I don't think we have those here, but who knows, since they'd only be out at night, I think we just have the little spotted owls that can't be named.... ;~D
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