How To Protect Koi Fish Pond From Predators- 10 Pond Fish Care Tips

Koi fish predators are everywhere when it comes to koi ponds but how do you keep and protect your koi fish from predators. First off some koi predators are raccoons, snakes, frogs, cats, kingfishers and the worst predator of all the blue heron. All of these predators pose some risk to your koi but what can a pond owner do to protect koi from being eaten.

The first thing to protecting your koi from predators is getting to know the predator themselves. One thing that a raccoon is afraid of is deep water as they usually fish in rivers from a log or in shallow water. What a koi owner can do is when planning your pond at the beginning is to make sure you leave steep edges that will help stop or prevent racoons from fishing for your koi and help keep your koi fish safe from predators.

The worst koi fish predator of all is the blue heron. Herons can literally wipe out a whole pond before you even know they were there. These birds look magnificent but to me it’s my worst nightmare being a koi breeder myself. I’ve seen these herons try and come eat my koi on a daily basis multiple times a day. The good thing is that there are certain things koi pond owners can do to help protect their koi fish from predators.

1. Set up pond netting over your garden pond to protect your koi fish.
2. Place koi castles or tunnels in the pond so they can have a place to hide.
3. Set up a scarecrow sprinkler system that’s motion activated that scares those nasty little koi fish predators.
4. Set up fishing line spaced very close together. Once the birds feet hit the fishing line it scares them away.
5. Install a floating alligator head or hippo in your pond as this will scare pond predators away.
6. Install koi decoy in pond that will help protect your koi fish and give them a chance.
7. Install a Garden Defence Electronic Owl that will help deter pond predators from coming and eating your koi fish.
8. Install a Heron decoy that will help deter herons from stopping by your koi fish pond.
9. Get a dog! Your pet would one of the best ways to keep wildlife away from your pond. Hopefully he’ll stay out of it too!
10. Buy yourself a ultrasonic sound device that sends noise only wildlife can hear. This will keep pond predators away too. Animal Away is a great animal control product that works well.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

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How To Raise a Chicken As a Family Pet

Most people think of Chickens as backyard roamers, or maybe the next item on the dinner plate. But there is another way to own Chickens, and that way is raising them to be your companion. Many people find this hard to believe, but Chickens can be just as loyal as Dogs. They will sit in your lap, come when they hear their name, and even cuddle with you for hours straight. The story of my first Chickens began in September 2009. I never expected to have loved them as much as I do to this day, but things turned out to be what I never knew possible. Okay, so you're wondering why I haven't started explaining how to do it, right? That's because I wanted to tell you how mine turned out, and then, you'll have a look at how you can raise your Chickens to be some of the cuddliest in the world.

1. Let's say your Chick is a few days old. Of course it is very small and hasn't been handled much, so the first thing to do is to gently pick it up by hand. Make sure not to startle it. Place it on your lap, right below your shirt, and cover it with your hand. Rub its head and let it fall asleep in your shirt. Be sure not to do this when your Chick is newly hatched because it will need heat to dry up its down feathers in order to fluff up after being wet from the Egg. Continue to do this cycle on the first few days of caring for your Chick.
2. After a week or two, your Chick should develop some feathers. It should be lively and active enough for some playtime. You can pat your knees and call it by its name for it to come to you. My chick always ran happily to me and tried to jump into my lap.
3. At the age 4-5 weeks old, you can introduce your Chick to the outdoors. Make sure to provide a safe environment for your bird. Don't let it free until you trust it to know good from bad, and make sure there are no cats or dogs nearby that could harm it. Pick it up from the ground and sit somewhere safe where you and your bird can cuddle while it still gets the fresh air from being outside.
4. At the age 6-7 weeks old, your bird can stay outside if it is used to it. You should visit it daily with treats and Yogurt for good behavior. Sit it on your lap for a morning cuddle. Remember that at this stage of life, your Chick should be able to jump up to you perfectly well. Practice tricks to build the ultimate relationship with your bird.
5. At weeks 8+, your Chick should be used to its every day life. By this time, you can expect your Chick to love you more than anything else in the world. Morning cuddles, coming to its name, tricks and Treats- There is so much more to list. You'll be pleasantly surprised with your results. I actually put Chickens on the top of my 'Favorite Animals' list because I experienced something that, like I said, I never knew was possible.
Then by the time your Chicken is 21+ weeks old, depending on maturity,  it may get into mating. Expect your eggs around 25 weeks old. But that's a totally different story. Broody Hens, crowing Roosters- That won't matter that much when you live the life you are given with hand-raised, loving Chicks.

That's the way to raising your Chicks to become wonderful, loving, lap pets that you will always have by your side.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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From Wolf to Woof: The Evolution of Dogs

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- European hunter-gatherers domesticated wolves more than 18,000 years ago, with evolution turning them into today's dogs as household pets, U.S. scientists say.

DNA studies by researchers at UCLA showed domestic dogs were genetically grouped with ancient wolves or dogs from Europe, not with wolves found anywhere else in the world or even with modern European wolves, the university reported Friday.

"We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them," evolutionary biologist Robert Wayne said. "This brings the genetic record into agreement with the archaeological record. Europe is where the oldest dogs are found."

The researchers studied 10 ancient "wolf-like" animals and eight "dog-like" animals, mostly from Europe. All more than 1,000 years old, most were thousands of years old, and two were more than 30,000 years old. Dogs, they concluded, evolved from ancient wolves that inhabited Europe and are now extinct.

The domestication of predatory wolves likely occurred among ancient hunter-gatherer groups rather than as part of humans' development of sedentary, agricultural-based communities, the researchers said.

"The wolf is the first domesticated species and the only large carnivore humans ever domesticated," Wayne said. "Other wild species were domesticated in association with the development of agriculture and then needed to exist in close proximity to humans. This would be a difficult position for a large, aggressive predator. 

"But if domestication occurred in association with hunter-gatherers, one can imagine wolves first taking advantage of the carcasses that humans left behind -- a natural role for any large carnivore -- and then over time moving more closely into the human niche through a co-evolutionary process."

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

BarleysList.org is Where People Go for Pet Info