Badgers have moved in to the goat house
Senojcin
Posts: 9
Does anyone else have experience of badgers taking up residence in outbuildings? And did you get rid of them?
For a few years now we have seen large holes being created by the badgers in our field. I thought at first it was a young badger trying to create his own sett.
Unfortunately he got bored of digging holes in the garden lawn and field and decided he was going to move in with the goats instead.
I have 6 pygmy goats who live between a 12x12 goat house and 6x12 goat house side by side. Both are open 24/7 so they are free to come and go as they please. The badger(s) (I saw two in the field shelter on the night camera), however, have decided that they will use the smaller goat house.
They have dug a latrine at one side and on the other under the bench the goats use, they have pulled hay in and made a nest.
By morning they have gone. Where do they go?
I don't want to harm them and hopefully they aren't carrying TB otherwise we're in deep doodoo.
Are they likely to move on do you think?
Posts
I'd be concerned that this is a potential 'nursery sett' ....... cubs are usually born in February. I'd try to move them on (in the kindest possible way of course).
As a former keeper of a herd of dairy goats, I'd instigate a regime of regular tuburculin testing if you milk your goats or sell stock on ............. or even if you don't.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you for your comment Dovefromabove
and oh no, not a nursery sett!
On our way home late on Saturday night we saw what looked like a baby young badger, only about 10" long so maybe it was a late badger from Autumn?
The woodland surrounding me is littered with setts so I'm not surprised they may want to 'sett' up home in my smallholding.
This is a lovely pic of Brock getting a little refreshment
WE HAVE BADGERS IN AN OLD DISUSED BRICK BUILDING THAT IS IN A FIELD NEAR OUR GARDEN.
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN DERBYSHIRE WHERE THE DERBYSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST HAVE PERSUADED EVERYONE ROUND ABOUT TO JOIN THEM IN A COMPREHENSIVE VACCINATION PROGRAMME. NO BADERS ARE GASSED OR SHOT OR MUTILATED ROUND HERE, THANK HEAVENS.
ONLY THE GOVERNMENT IS ALLOWED TO ORDER THE GASSING, SHOOTING OR MUTILATING AND LEAVING TO DIE OF A PROTECTED SPECIES.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT IT IS NOT BADGERS THAT ARE THE ARCHITECTS OF THE TB PROBLEM BUT THAT THEY ARE VICTIMS OF THE DISEASE AS MUCH AS THE CATTLE. SOME FARMERS LEAVE SALT LICKS AND OTHER DIETARY BOOSTERS IN FIELDS FOR THEIR COWS. THEY LEAVE THEM ON THE GROUND. BADGERS COME ALONG AND LICK THEM, THE COWS COME ALONG AND LICK THEM AND BINGO. IF THE FARMERS KEPT THEIR PRODUCTS OUT OF THE REACH OF THE BADGERS THEY MIGHT STAND A VERY SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE OF AVOIDING TB IN THEIR CATTLE. AND, OF COURSE, THEY WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THE LOCAL BADGERS DID NOT CATCH TB OFF THEIR COWS EITHER.
YOU CAN DO LITTLE TO PERSUADE THEM TO MOVE ON UNLESS YOU CAN GET A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ON YOUR SIDE.
THIS IS SPRINGTIME (THOUGH YOU MIGHT NOT BELIEVE IT -MINUS 2°C, BLOWING A GALE AND SNOWING JUST NOW) AND BADGERS ARE ON THE MOVE LOOKING FOR LURVE. YOUR LOT MAY MOVE ON OR THEY MAY DECIDE THAT IT IS BADGER HEAVEN. IT TAKES A LOT TO FATHOM A BADGER.
I LOVE MY BADGERS.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
Thank you Pansyface
I love the badgers too and I don't mind if they want to share the goat house with the goats. They disappear by morning so I don't know what they get up to during the day?
I only hope they are not diseased and bringing anything in to the goats. The pic I posted doesn't show it but there is a salt lick not far from the water bucket. There are no cattle in the woods but plenty of deer and wild boar.
I THINK THEY GO OFF FOR A GAME OF GIN RUMMY AND SOFA SURFING FOR THE DAY.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
Badgers don't like high volume music, the question is if the goats do?
Hahhaaaaa,don't know about loud music but Molly's bleat can burst an ear drum at 100 paces, unfortunately she's not in season at the moment so she's quiet
Badgers can be very vicious, if you intend breeding your goats I would definely get rid of them, they’ll have the young as soon as it’s born.
They will take lambs, theyre sure to take a new pigmy goat.