Hello from a newbie

[Anonymous]

I thought I'd introduce myself as I'm new here.I haven't actually got my chickens yet,will be collecting them soon,8 days time and i'm really excited .I am a big kid at heart,and getting them just after my birthday, so they are my birthday pressie to myself-it guarantees you get what you want .
I have got other pets,7 dogs,2 rabbits(and their 7 babies)3 snakes and 4 tropical aquariums.
I'm hoping my new hens will like living here,I'm going to do my best to help them settle in and find their feet.
Although when I first see them,I'm desperately hoping I'm not going to burst into tears at the sight of them,I appreciate they are not going to look their best,which obviously isn't their fault.But,I am a big softie .
Anyway,I can't think of much else to say(very unusual for me :lol: )except "hi everybody"

 

[Tim]

Hi Lydia,

Thanks for saying hello. Seems like you have some collection there already! Yes, the poor old battery hen has a hard life. I've changed the way I buy products now since there are so many things with processed eggs in that you don't think of - Ice Cream & Mayo for example (Helmans are now free range - hurray)

I'm terrified of snakes - I was in France a couple of weeks ago and a black snake had come into the house - into the basement where it is cool and lifted its body and hissed at us. It then shot off and disappeared into a crack in the wall.

I was up half the night thinking it might be able to climb up through the building into the living room or worse still the bedroom... :roll:

Tim

 

[snifter]

Hiya and welcome to the forum Look forward to hearing about your chooks when you get them.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,thanks for the welcome,I er,forgot I'd posted in this section .....not that I'm blonde or anything ,hence I've only just read your replies.
A lot of people are not fond of snakes Tim,including my bfd.My 3,well 2 of them are great.Very laid back,the other is territorial,so does prefer to bite first which is a bit trying.It's not funny being outwitted by a snake,but then,the dvd player outwits me as well....... :roll:
I'm hoping that chickens,who naturally enjoy a flock social structure will be easier at times to understand.

 

[Tim]

Hmmm - Bite

Now that scares the s :roll: t out of me!

When you post, if you tick the little box that says 'notify me when a reply is posted' in the options below the submit button, the forum should email you with a link when there is a new post / posts.

I also click 'view new posts' when I visit (from the top left of the home / index page). This lists everything new since your last visit.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

LOL,I can say from personal knowledge,that a snake bite does not hurt as much as a domestic rat,or hamster or gerbil.What makes you physically jump is the snakes strike i.e. their head moves quicker than your eyes can follow.Their fangs are sharper than a needle and painless entering you.
Snake keepers avoid snake's biting because they don't wish to damage the snake's fangs,or because they keep 'hots'-venomous snakes.
I don't handle my territorial snake at all,except with a snake hook,only my hook is very small(it's meant for baby snakes) and he is now well over 4'......and still growing :? .
I have clicked on the reply thingy button now,not sure why I didn't the first time.......being blonde and forgetfull is a handicap I have to endure ..... :lol: .

 

[Tim]

Oh the thought of that makes me shivvvvver!...

I'll tell you a little story - this will make you laugh.

I once went to a friends house who kept a snake - a big black long thing that was a king snake or something. Anyway, I always made sure the snake was safely shut in it's tank upstairs before going into the house (sometimes he used to lose this thing around the house). One day he said he would bring it downstairs - so me being me decided to go outside, drink my coffee and watch through the closed patio doors a good 12 feet away.

He brought it down and it slithered around a bit but then while I was (dead scared now) looking in, he stepped out of site. I thought he was going to put it away so I opened the glass door and peered in.. The next minute he stepped out from around the corner and said "Tim catch!" throwing something long and black at me... (it was his belt he had taken off.) I jumped a mile and threw coffee all over myself and then ran back outside...

That really helped with my fear of snakes of course!

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: ,I'm sorry,that did make me laugh :lol: .
Yes,king Snakes can be black,I was once thinking of keeping 1.People that visit,that wish to hold one of my snakes,I only ever get one of my Royal Pythons out.They are very calm snakes,also,pythons have heat sensors along their botton jaw,this is how they detect prey.Royals have appalling eye sight,or at least,don't rely on their eye sight.My Coastal Carpet Python has what a lot of ppl describe as 'evil eyes',he has far better eye sight,with pupils that contract and dilate making diamond shaped slits.
He can definitely focus better than the Royals.
Avoiding snake bites with mine is common sense,I never put my hands in their viv's when my hands are warm,if hands are warm,their heat sensors detect the heat and they may strike,mistaking a hand for food.So you just wash your hands with cold water first.Snakes also hate the taste of rubber,so you slip on a pair of washing up gloves.These help a lot and are an essential bit of my snake equipment.
A lot of ppl are scared of snakes,most of my family are,luckily not my son.If he was,I would never have got snakes in the first place.

Remember Tim,you can out run any snake.Snakes sense vibrations through the ground,so if you are ever walking somewhere where Adders are a possibility,place your feet firmly on the ground,then if a snake is somewhere close by,you will alert it to hide.
We do only have 3 native snakes in this country,and Adders are the only poisonous ones,they are recognisible by their diamond markings down their back.