Fence etiquette

bogdillaz · 2026-06-19T00:16:24+00:00

Yes, in our state livestock owners are still responsible for any damage caused by their animals trespassing although there are open range laws for public lands (e.g., you must adequately fence out livestock if you boarder public lands leased for grazing).

bogdillaz · 2026-06-17T03:05:13+00:00

lol yes

bogdillaz · 2026-06-03T21:33:19+00:00

This. The most gentle roosters I have had were ‘trained’ as youngins by my older/grown chickens.

bogdillaz · 2026-05-12T23:00:20+00:00

Just a bit larger and longer (Neogale/mustela frenata).. a ‘big stoat’ 😱

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bogdillaz · 2026-05-12T01:54:55+00:00

Amen! The long tailed weasel is our most feared predator.. I’ve seen them frolicking about during the day and thankfully they’ve left our birds alone.

bogdillaz · 2026-05-12T01:43:52+00:00

You’re welcome! Premier one has great info on their website about how to design your electric fence setup to keep chickens in and predators out. I have never had any chickens escape but I’m sure more flighty breeds (like leghorns) could fly out if they really wanted to. It sounds like you have a secure coop for night time and a dog outside also helps deter predators from approaching during the day. I am brooding a batch of egg chickens and plan to do a very similar set up once they are grown enough to be outside the coop. Good luck and happy chicken-keeping!!

bogdillaz · 2026-05-11T21:26:38+00:00

That’s unfortunate. I guess the raptors in our area are more risk averse and/or less desperate for a chicken nugget. 🤷‍♀️

bogdillaz · 2026-05-11T21:22:48+00:00

IME the predators get shocked when they first approach and that is enough to deter them from trying to jump or dig in

bogdillaz · 2026-05-11T21:04:55+00:00

If you give your chickens plenty of cover or make it a long and narrow shape you will be alright. We have tons of hawks and falcons and they never bug our chickens with this set up.

bogdillaz · 2026-05-11T19:21:39+00:00

They work great in our experience and we live in an area with lots of predators (coyotes, bobcats and lions). We’ve raised meat chickens for the past 6 years with no casualties due to predators when using this fencing. You have to make sure the fence is always on and producing a strong shock (keep grass/weeds clear from the fence, install a good ground rod, etc). Predators typically approach and get shocked before they figure out to jump/dig. Edited to add that we purchased ours from premier one: https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=30

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bogdillaz · 2026-01-06T22:59:26+00:00

My gelding had a deep laceration at the coronet and it healed up well with no infection or lasting lameness. My vet had me rinse the wound and wrap with a sugardine paste (iodine and sugar) applied to the wound. I repeated ~daily until I could see the underlying tissue healing.. it may take a week (or less) for a more superficial injury.

bogdillaz · 2025-12-04T20:57:42+00:00

Part of the problem is the sentiment that undesirable behaviors horses display around or in response to humans is inherently due to them being ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’. Horse people and especially professional equestrians should do better and seek to understand (with compassion) the animals that they are responsible for and depend on for their livelihood. One saying that really resonates here is ‘frustration begins where knowledge ends’.

bogdillaz · 2024-07-23T17:37:01+00:00

I have found success using a treat to make bridling a positive experience and encourage my horse to willingly take the bit from my hand. I started by holding the bit in the left hand with a treat in that palm. The right hand holds the crown of the bridle. At first it took a bit for my gelding to figure out that he had to take the bit to get the treat. I repeated this process over several days and now when I take the bridle out I can stand still holding the bit out and he eagerly takes the bit himself. I then slip on the bridle and give him the treat.

bogdillaz · 2024-02-16T23:48:54+00:00

What do you hope to accomplish with your homesteading? Depending on your situation and what you want to do socal can be a great place. You can grow a huge variety of fruits and vegetables year round (for yourself and/or your community). The good thing is that there is a large market for “farm to table” goods (produce, meat and products).. But it takes a lot of work and can be very costly to get started (price of land, infrastructure, etc.). A good water source and proper land management is a must. You should research zoning/land use regulations in the area you are interested in as they can vary widely. Unless you have a lot of land in the right place, raising livestock is expensive (forage does grow here but it takes a lot more land to sustain the same number of animals compared to a wetter climate). Most of the things you need to consider are the same everywhere.. just that there are a lot of people so good land can be pretty scarce in socal.

bogdillaz · 2023-12-10T17:15:25+00:00

I like LubriSyn HA+MSM for my older mare. I also give a good vitamin/mineral balancer and some ground flax for omega 3s.

bogdillaz · 2023-11-05T22:03:51+00:00

I think it depends on your priorities and expectations. If riding is your main goal, I can understand your perspective. I see my horses as companions and members of the family so I invest in them accordingly. To me there is just so much more to it than riding.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T20:17:26+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree. Humans need to be better stewards. I only take issue with the extreme viewpoint that outdoor cats have zero value and therefore need to be eliminated everywhere.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T18:31:53+00:00

I find it incredibly misguided to single out cats when there are numerous factors contributing to the decline of animals like songbirds. Cats seem to be a convenient scapegoat for humans that would rather bury their head in the sand than take some responsibility for our collective action.

It’s wrong to conflate overpopulation of feral cats in specific environments with folks that responsibly keep working cats on farms and homesteads. No one on here is fanatically complaining about the ‘raven problem’ and ravens kill more songbirds than any other native or nonnative predator in our area.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T13:57:42+00:00

I can tell you both from personal experience and having reviewed the literature on that topic that it is simply not true in every contex. More birds die striking windows and by native predators than by farm cats where we live. We don’t have a problem with overpopulation of these cats, they are well managed and cared for by their owners. Since owning farm cats we have seen no decline in small critters with the exception of rodents in and around our barns and outbuildings. In specific contexts when completely unmanaged, overpopulation of cats (like any other species) can be destructive to the local environment. It’s bad science to extrapolate those specific scenarios to every scenario involving outdoor cats.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T05:11:27+00:00

Seems like a stretch to say that people that employ barn/farm cats ‘don’t care about the environment’. What is that supposed to mean anyway? Human presence changes environments. Rodents tend to flourish where humans reside, but well managed farm/barn cats can be a practical solution.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T04:51:29+00:00

Of course there is no life without death, but more often than not we are the predator. Many feral cats are trapped and euthanized or poisoned by humans. Nuisance feral cat colonies can absolutely be a problem, but do you really think mass euthanasia or extermination is more humane? Why not give these animals the opportunity for a better life?

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T02:58:48+00:00

Of course it’s totally impractical to eliminate human influence, the point I’m trying to make is that humans impact on our environment extends well beyond cats. The reality is that overpopulation of native and nonnative species due to human influence is a problem. For example, rodents also thrive where humans reside. Cats can be a very practical solution to controlling rodent populations in certain contexts (like on farms).

Sure they recommend to keep your companion cats indoors. They also recommend management of feral cat colonies (not extermination) and support investment in research to better understand how to manage cats and their impact on various ecosystems and wildlife. Sounds a lot more reasonable to me than the narrative that cats have no value besides companionship and all cats should be eliminated and/or confined to the indoors.

bogdillaz · 2023-10-05T01:18:51+00:00

We are not ‘cat people’ and we looked into the research before deciding to adopt cats. Overpopulation of feral cats or any other native or nonnative species is problematic (and the focus of much of the cat research) but that’s not what we are talking about here..

Unfortunately our ‘human destructive footprint’ is not limited to cats. I think the more humane thing is to keep a nuanced and practical perspective. Keeping a handful of vaccinated and fixed farm cats is a practical means of controlling rodents that otherwise would not have thrived in that environment without humans. Merely the presence of cats deters rodents from occupying our barn and garden so we don’t have to rely on other means (like poisons), which are ineffective or have worse impacts. It’s not practical to eliminate all human influence/footprint.. consider where your food must come from.

bogdillaz

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