Say hello and introduce yourself here

Thanks all for your lovely wishes, I was quite down so they are all very appreciated.
At the vet's yesterday she passed her first MOT. Now propolis powder and cream to heal her deep stitches and stop the skin drying out too much.

She's eating well and sat in the sun in the doorway today. The air is cold with snow on the mountain tops but the sun was good.

I've been looking at those Eglu's. Very expensive but totally secure and easily moved around. The hens had all been so free range, weeds, seeds, worms, (the odd adder which always caused a frenzy of interest) insects, my forbidden fenced off raspberries.....doh, etc. and the eggs were so good.

If I have a moveable enclosure then I will be able to get another 6 'girls' and they will be able to access different areas, and although it won't be the same, they will not be at risk of ghastly traumas and fearful death again.

I might also think of creating a flexible, larger wire-netting enclosure with electric fence around the outside, so they can be more 'outside' if I'm around.

One friend was watching over her hens free-roaming in her garden, she went round the back of her green house to get some plant pots and a day-raiding fox snapped her hens out in seconds.

They are too canny and a frenzied dog is no less stoppable. So 'electric' it may have to be (especially if I can turn the current up.... oh sorry, that's a cruel thought... it's in a dog's nature and fox's too, to do what they must do.... it's not their fault, just a terrible conflict of interests).

So mulling over a solution whilst watching over her improvement, but yes, my lovely grey hen will have companions, soon now, I hope.

She's already been through the hoops. She jumped badly out of the coop once, landed very clumsily and couldn't walk any more. In the end osteopathy (vet is also alternative) helped put her ligaments back into place but for several months I had her suspended in a home made baby sling hanging from an overhead bar to get the weight off her legs and stop her underside from damage.

She fell badly because of leg scale mite which had stiffened her ankles, and for which there was no apparent suitable treatment. After hours and hours of unsuccessful internet searching which gave no solution I eventually put two separate clues together.
One, block the air supply off to the mites,
Two, use some sort of grease.

I raided all of the local chemist shops, bought out their stocks of Castor Oil (it's really sticky) and dipped all of my hens' feet into a large jar of it, and glooped it on every three days for 10 days.

Mites died straight away, now it's a guaranteed treatment.

It's not all plain-sailing is it, keeping hens.

Diatomaceous Earth is the other magic ingredient. No self respecting parasite, red mite nor anything can outlive the DE onslaught, especially if garlic is made available to any hen that might fancy a bit of Mediterranean spice to their freshly pecked grass salad.

Just as an aside, the vet said keep my hen in the warm and dry.

Well, how many people have a place to do that, so my versatile living space has become a hen hospital, that means, I've moved all of me and my stuff to the far end of the room and will enjoy having my un-cramped style back when she gets back onto her feet.  

I would just like to say hello and pleased that I came across this forum. I have followed the case closely for the past 18 months and was a member of the Jill Havern forum but I became disillusioned with it and rarely posted anymore. Funny thing is that I found this forum when I saw the link on Christobell's blog (accessed from a Google search for "Jill Havern" last week). I didn't always agree with Christobell's postings on JH but was surprised she was temporarily banned for something I did agree with her on. Then I read the thread and was amazed to see how many others had been banned for daring to state an alternative thinking to a certain person and some of that person's followers. I hope though that this new forum will continue to post all relevant news in the right way and I will follow it closely and maybe post should time allow. The JH forum is now deleted from my favourites and replaced with this one. From looking at this thread it does look as though many of the more level-headed contributers to JH have migrated across which is good to see. And I believe Candfloss to be an excellent moderator.

One final note. I always got the impression from reading many comments on JH that a large number of contributors were motivated by a hatred towards the parents rather than the real hope for truth in this sordid affair. Personally, I refused to take notice of anything McCann until 2013. I found them nauseating people and I did not believe a word of their story but I did not get involved. However, after reading the McCann files I actually found the case intriguing and still do to this day. But I don't want to be motivated by a dislike of the parents of Madeleine and will not post anything to do with personal feelings towards them, I strongly believe this kind of thing should not be allowed on such a forum and hope that it does not go that way. Anyway, good luck for the future!

Hello Shrike. You will enjoy posting on here as it is always fair and very well run. I can`t promise we won`t say the odd naughty comment about the parents but it is motivated by frustration at what they have gotten away with rather than a hatred I think.
I hope you feel confident to post your thoughts. No one bites....well if they do the mods are on it.

Welcome Shrike.

I hope that nobody here (or on any other forum) is motivated by a hatred or dislike of Team McCann, but rather by a natural desire to find out the truth about whatever happened to Madeleine and that whoever is responsible will be brought to account eventually - hopefully in our lifetime!

Freedom wrote:Welcome Shrike.

I hope that nobody here (or on any other forum) is motivated by a hatred or dislike of Team McCann, but rather by a natural desire to find out the truth about whatever happened to Madeleine and that whoever is responsible will be brought to account eventually - hopefully in our lifetime!

70 more years in your case Freedom

With permission, I have to say, that I do dislike TM.
My "quest" started 7+ years ago to try and find out, understand, what happened to their daughter. And if they had any involvement or if there were other "theories" read explanations for her disappearance.
Since some time, though, I am absolutely livid about the fact, that they try [and sometimes manage] to crush people, who don't toe their party-line. The most obvious ones being Dr. Amaral and now Brenda Leyland and some others under their wheels.

OK, now I've said it ...

Fair point(s) in my opinion

Welcome, Bobbin and Shrike.So sorry to hear about your chickens Bobbin,and going by what you have done for your surviving chicken it just goes to show you are a very caring person.I wouldn't kill a spider or a fly as I am sure many members of the forum wouldn't,, but we are regarded has the Trolls by the likes of Brunt,Burley,Malone and many others for having an opinion and seeking Justice for a three year old with no voice.

Shrike, when I saw the first interview by the McCann's on TV I said to my O/H I don't believe them, there is something dodgy about them.


Chatelaine, I know what you mean I dislike TM too but I don't hate them.But I do hate the fact that they have tried to destroy and crush the very people who want to find out what happened to their Daughter.I think that tells me all I need to know of Kate and Gerry.

Hi Bobbin, really good to see you here. I loved hearing about your hen(s). More please, it's really interesting although I guess we should be removed to the coffee area. I work fullish time so can't have any livestock. At the moment I struggle to keep the weeds in check but one day I will have my goats and chickens.....my OH has gone pale again!

Tristar wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:With permission, I have to say, that I do dislike TM.
My "quest" started 7+ years ago to try and find out, understand, what happened to their daughter. And if they had any involvement or if there were other "theories" read explanations for her disappearance.
Since some time, though, I am absolutely livid about the fact, that they try [and sometimes manage] to crush people, who don't toe their party-line. The most obvious ones being Dr. Amaral and now Brenda Leyland and some others under their wheels.

OK, now I've said it ...

fair point(s) in my opinion

Agreed Châtelaine fair points and I honestly feel this way myself. I think the point I was trying to make is that so many of the threads on JH became comment after comment about feelings towards the parents, which I guess served to fuel everybody's anger and frustration and some people's dislike and possible "hatred". It was one of the 2 main reasons for my disillusionment, the other being the suppression of people's thoughts that opposed certain persons within the forum. I just hope that threads here will continue to focus on the topic and not get derailed. I want to remain interested, I have never believed what I saw as obvious lying, cover up etc., and want to believe that OG is working towards something other than a whitewash. I honestly don;t know what is going on behind the scenes, I doubt there are few on the forums who do but these forums are so important as they might one day help to work out what actually happened to this girl and achieve justice. Just as importantly I hope they help to expose what seems to be driving the undeserved support for these people at the highest level. Support for people who, at a minimum, have neglected their children and who would have been pilloried or even jailed had they not been doctors. Then who went on to make a mint out of their actions - I hope we never get to the day when we see one or both of their names in the honours list for example for services to charity, how KM can become an ambassador for MP I will never know (but that's the charity celeb workd in a nutshell I guess)! The support could simply be down to money (it is a good earner for so many), celeb status (jumping on the bandwagon), or something more sinister. Probably a mixture of all but, one day, surely justice will be done. After all, the lies and inconsistencies are there for everybody to see. This is our power, the main way to keep the pressure on and I hope we can make a difference together through constructive work.

Finally, just a thought, do people who have migrated to this forum believe that the JH forum has been infiltrated in some way working towards its destruction? I find some of the things going on there to be very strange.  After all, it has been one of the main oppositions to the McCann's control of their abduction theory.

Shrike. snipped from your post


Finally, just a thought, do people who have migrated to this forum believe that the JH forum has been infiltrated in some way working towards its destruction? I find some of the things going on there to be very strange.  After all, it has been one of the main oppositions to the McCann's control of their abduction theory.

I think there is cause to believe that all is not as it should be in that place. Quite clearly a lot of the posters on here who were forced out of that forum are reasonable and informed people who can argue their case without resorting to name calling and rudeness. We can`t all be right but it is only by allowing all hypotheses to be aired that it will be possible to come up with a cohesive synopsis.
I have had a few different ideas over the last few months and some have been shelved now thanks to picking the brains of those who know more than I do and it has helped me to form a better picture.
Why a once respected and revered forum should be allowing the loss of such brainpower is beyond my ken.

Remove if you see fit Freedom but not slagging off as such just commenting that it is odd so many good thinkers have been removed. I have the utmost respect for anyone who spends their own time researching tirelessly whatever forum they choose.

.

I'd prefer that comments aren't made about specific other forums; it always seems to lead to liberal helpings of mud-slinging, something I try to avoid.

Speaking generally, "infiltration" of any forum, organisation or whatever, by those with an ulterior motive for being there, happens all the time.

I don't think that it can be avoided.

Not, I hasten to add, that I am suggesting that it has happened in a particular place!

I wasn't commenting on your post specifically, Chirpy. There was also the one before from Shrike.

I'm simply anxious to avoid further unpleasantness.

Hello friends. I'm justformaddiemccann but unfortunately the OH updated my iPad whilst I was visiting dad in hospital. I've been unable to log back in, so I've been trying a lot of different ways with passwords and addresses. Now, I'm dogs don't lie, and he's been well warned to stay away from my iPad! Poor man, I was fuming lol. Please, candyfloss and freedom, I would be more than happy if you could delete the username ALGCM and justformaddie, cause I don't want to have anymore socks. My justformaddiemccann has a few good posts but I don't know if you delete that name, the posts go with it? Anyways, it's soo good to be back, jeez, you don't know what your missing if your not a member! Thanks for reading. X

Thanks for letting us know, I just sent you a pm actually asking you about the others, I guessed it was you by the avatar.

Glad you are back.  Will delete the others.

candyfloss wrote:Thanks for letting us know, I just sent you a pm actually asking you about the others, I guessed it was you by the avatar.

Glad you are back.  Will delete the others.

Cheers candyfloss, s##t day for not being here, s##t day for him too!

Oh dear as a frequent reader (infrequent poster) on the other main forum, I can't believe I only just noticed the setting up of this one. I see familiar posters here and Candyfloss so will hop on board.

Hi there D!

It could be a fate worse than death for you if you don't remember me from somewhere else too!

dentdelion wrote:Oh dear as a frequent reader (infrequent poster) on the other main forum, I can't believe I only just  noticed the setting up of this one.  I see  familiar posters here and Candyfloss  so will hop on board.  

Hi dentdelion, welcome to our humble abode The troll sanctuary

.......or in the inimitable words of Bonnybraes, this is the hounder refuge.

We`re all in this together.

Please could we have some clothes - it's definitely too cold to bare all.

Freedom wrote:Please could we have some clothes - it's definitely too cold to bare all.

Your wish.....