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Where are the feral chickens?


old man emu

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I was just writing to a friend overseas and was talking about out National Parks being the haunts of many tpes of feral animals, such as cats, dogs, pigs, deer, foxes etc. Then I thought, "Why aren't there any feral chooks?" The cats, dogs and foxes couldn't have got them all.

 

OME

 

 

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Why not OME? A chook isn't much competition for a fox or cat or dog. Also dogs, cats and foxes can adapt really well to the wild (obviously) whereas it would be a bit harder for chooks.

 

Having said that maybe in some places there are some, I knew a fella who had some exotic pheasants that he kept and used for meat and he accidently left the gate open and they all wandered out. He was worried for a bit thinking immediately of how other animals like foxes ect have caused havoc by being introduced but and hour or so later they all came back and hopped back into their pen. Seems they get used to being looked after.

 

We don't lock our chooks up, they wander around our yard and round the sheds, they have never wandered far away and always roost in the same spot. Keeping the fox population down is important but we have only ever lost 1. I guess not having the wanderlust like cats, dogs and foxes also helps to prevent the country getting run over by wild chooks lol

 

 

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FT Warning: I'm about to write something about foxes.

 

Amazing animals; there is a heavy population right through urban Melbourne.

 

Our next door neighbour sells chooks and ducks, and despite buying a Marema to protect them, there's a stream of feathers radiating out from his property.

 

One morning I saw a fox with a huge rooster in his jaws crossing our front lawn. I figured I had him trapped because the fences are sheep mesh but he just walked up to the fence, twisted and put the head through, twisted again and put the tail through and then just walked through, ignoring me.

 

 

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There's a plague of foxes around here. Always has been, but they aren't as cunning as they used to be They get run over by cars, and they are out in the daytime more.. Chickens don't last long. There would be a lot more rabbits if they weren't there too There's still a lot of rabbits.. Nev

 

 

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It's real. Really looks BAD. Nev

Oh I don't mind it, the paint job is fabulous and I love the fact that no rego is apparently necessary.

 

There are a few stray peafowl about, they roost high and in some ways are tougher than chooks. Incidentally I found the two don't mix so well as they have quite different traits.

 

 

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Deer have succeeded though, they are now right through the Victorian alps in the biggest numbers ever, providing excellent hunting.Same in the South East where you can see deer grazing in paddocks with sheep around Penola.

Same as the Brisbane Valley and even some hinterland suburbs on the Gold coast.

 

 

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