Does feeding garden birds do more harm than good? • Hacker News Board

Re: Does feeding garden birds do more harm than good?

#91

Post by rhn_mk1 » Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 5:24 PM UTC

11235813213455 wrote: post #90

aw1621107 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rest of the sentence provides some important information: > It is synthesized by some bacteria in the gut flora in humans and other animals, but it has long been thought that humans cannot absorb this as it is made in the colon, downstream from the small intestine, where the absorption of most nutrients occurs.

ok, maybe not everything has been discovered about this, because how come my summer diet of only figs, tomatoes and some leafy greens doesn't cause any b12 deficiency symptoms? (as listed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficien... ) but I'm not at all a vegan, it's just that currently there is an abundance of figs around, and why not use those calories. I may consume a fish later in the year…

https://www.b12-vitamin.com/body-store/

> Our bodies store a greater amount of vitamin B12 than that of any other vitamin

> serious effects of vitamin B12 deficiency can take several years to emerge.

Re: Does feeding garden birds do more harm than good?

#92

Post by 11235813213455 » Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 6:59 AM UTC

rhn_mk1 wrote: post #91

11235813213455 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ok, maybe not everything has been discovered about this, because how come my summer diet of only figs, tomatoes and some leafy greens doesn't cause any b12 deficiency symptoms? (as listed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficien... ) but I'm not at all a vegan, it's just that currently there is an abundance of figs around, and why not use those calories. I may consume a fish later in the year…

https://www.b12-vitamin.com/body-store/ > Our bodies store a greater amount of vitamin B12 than that of any other vitamin > serious effects of vitamin B12 deficiency can take several years to emerge.

interesting, thanks

Re: Does feeding garden birds do more harm than good?

#93

Post by gerdesj » Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 12:47 AM UTC

cletus wrote: post #88

gerdesj wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"you could learn about animal husbandry and raise chickens for eggs" My grandad, when he retired bought a smaller farm. He kept around 200 chickens in the old cow shippon. Now if you google "shippon", you'll be told it is a northern (English) term. My grandad was born in Paignton in 1901 and lived in Devon all his life. His working farm was near Dartmouth. I only searched to check the spelling for this comment, it tu…

In the US those farm cats are generally called "barn cats". They will live in the barn and their "job" is to kill vermin and protect the livestock that also live there. They seem to do this instinctively. They need to be fed independently as it ties them to the barn. Otherwise they'll leave in search of food. When farms are sold typically the barn cats will stay with the farm as it's the only home they've known and i…

Quite. I think they are in the middle ground between domestic cats and wild cats. I don't think you have what I would call wild cats in the US (you have the bigger felines such as Lynx etc). In Scotland there are a few examples and they are being actively conserved. They look like large domestic cats but are completely wild.

The farm cat or barn cat is one that is clearly domesticated but encouraged to do whatever it likes with a few simple rules. It gets fed regularly and apart from a particular species (hens) it can destroy anything else at will.

We created these things and we should damn well look after them. Cats are not complex at all. If you "make" a farm/barn cat then it should be left as such.

Granny and granddad also had Wee White as a house cat. When the chicks were hatched they were stuffed into a tray and put into the house boiler cupboard to keep warm. This was the "airing cupboard". British housing off of the sixties and beyond often has a hot water boiler that was merged with the formal place that you air fabrics to dry them.

Their airing cupboard had a load of chicks in a tray and a cat on another shelf. You walk past a combination of purring and cheeping.

Re: Does feeding garden birds do more harm than good?

#94

Post by moistly » Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 4:25 AM UTC

mrspeaker wrote: post #85

moistly wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oeuf! That’s four more eggs than I’d need! Maybe my neighbour would like to share. Is it practical to let them free-range in an urbanish neighbourhood? We have deer, raccoons, cats, the occasional coyote, osprey and eagles, etc—we are not far from open range and open wildlands. I assume they’d need some sort of enclosure at night, but during the day? I’ve checked and we are allowed a coop…

("Oeuf!" made me do a snort-coffee-out-my-nose laugh. Genius.)

I am no genius, my dear Mrs. Peaker, for were you to call me a wit it would be too kind by half.

But I do like to think that I have my moments.