They’re so cute! I sometimes wish rats weren’t illegal here.
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I didn’t know rats were illegal anywhere. Is there a reason for it?
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I’m not sure exactly the reason why, but all rats, pets or otherwise, are illegal in the province of Alberta. There are even special exterminators employed by the provincial government with the express purpose of keeping out rats that sneak in from other provinces. I guess the lawmakers just really hate rats?
That aside, we are primarily an agricultural province, so I guess rats in the grain storage would be a bad thing.
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It’s because, as far as I know, rats are massively invasive in most places. They way outcompete other animals and can and have singlehandedly wipes out ecosystems and caused the extinction of hundreds of species. Alberta is basically the one populated part of the world where rats aren’t around and it’s actually very cool and very eco-conscious that controlling them is such a big deal. I’m sure it also has something to do with the agriculture stuff though, that makes a lot of sense!
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Thanks to a bit of limping earlier in the week, looks like I officially have a new little friend to take care of.
My nerd heart is happy that we’re calling her Scully (and disappointed that the vet decided to spell it “Skully”).
She’s one of the babies from outside, probably born shortly after Easter based on how small they were when I first saw them a few months ago.
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So, it’s taken me a while to process this to feel like I could post it, but on their second night living outside, a predator dug into the chicken run. Three out of the five new chickens were missing or dead. The four older chickens were fine; they new to get up into the coop where it was safe. The five new chickens stayed in the run. Elsa and Roz survived. We were all sad, but my wife and oldest son were devastated.
This is the first time we’ve lost a chicken to a predator; we’ve lost plenty to old age or illness. Our chicken coop and run had to be moved to accommodate a large yard project, so they were in a temporary, less secure structure. We should have known better. The temporary structure is now reinforced, and I’m in the process of building a new, secure, permanent structure for them.
My wife was able to purchase three new small baby chicks, which is nice, but it’s not quite the same.
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Sorry, Augo. 
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Question:
Which one of you did this to my dog?
Who made Henry already bigger than Ruby when he’s only 5 months old?
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They kind of resemble each other!
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The new chicken yard is done! It’s my own design - 4x4 panels of 1/2 inch welded wire hardware cloth sandwiched in-between two wood frames, with thick exterior decking screws holding the mesh in place at 8 points along the frames. Pretty much nothing short of a black bear could get through them. There’s also a 1 foot apron of hardware cloth nailed to the bottom of each panel, forming a dig-proof barrier all the way around the entire structure.
Here’s a close-up of the panels themselves - there’s one four-foot access door, with two spring-secured hooks.
Phase two will be to add a pitched corrugated clear plastic roof to help with snow management.
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This is my current foster kitten! We’ve bonded and I am thinking about adopting her… also she’s a polydactyl so she has extra toes on each foot. The front feet have three extra toes, it’s like she has two paws put together!
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We’re fostering again!! This is Snickers, he’s 1 year old, 14 lbs, hates rain and loud noises, but loves taking naps in your lap!!
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When my work gave me a desktop to use for the duration of remote-ness, we set up a small desk in my walk-out basement, which means I have almost full-size windows to look out of. It also means I get to listen to one of my cats sit in another window chirping at the birds and chipmunks running around.
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That looks so cozy! 
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It does, doesn’t it, @Catherine? The toddler toys we recently placed in front of the bookcase doesn’t even stop her (not that it was intended to, we just needed space in the living/playroom) she still climbs right up.
I haven’t been able to keep a candle on that shelf since she arrived though…
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