Birds and cockers HELP

[Magic Star]

:shock: Had a big shock this morning, |I let Indie out and left the conservatory door open, while I went for a shower, next thing is my youngest (5) comes upstairs shouting, Indies got a dead bird :roll:   So my eldest ran downstairs to see, she came back up laughing and said it was a grey sock :?   My youngest was adamant that she saw "a face" on the sock, so eldest went down again, and came up shouting EWWWWWW it is mum, theres a dead wood pigeon on the living room floor :roll:   SO I run down, and theres nothing there, next thing is Indie comes around the corner with a HUGE dead wood pigeon in her mouth, jumping up at me, wagging her tail furiousley :shock:  :shock:  :shock: the dead thing was touching my legs ewwwwwwwww :roll:   well I'm afraid I lost the plot and started screaming :oops:  :oops:  it was sooo gross I was nearly sick :roll:  

Hubbie was in bed after a half nightshift whilst all this was going on, heard me screaming, thought I had been electrocuted :oops:  came down and got rid of the bird!  SO have been to asda this morning bought loads of that Dettol in an aersol stuff, and gone through the whole downstairs with it :!:

Anyway I have some qeustions about the whole incident!

Do you think Indie has killed this bird
Or just brought it in?  
Is this normal for a pet cocker?
Is there anything I do to stop her doing this?
Can she catch anything from it?
Is there anything you can buy, to scoop the things up?

I can't tell you how horrid the whole thing was, I mean she couldn't just bring in a little mouse or sparrow, could she? It has to be a ruddy great wood pigeon :roll:                    

[Gilly]

Hiya Emma,

I think that this is a "thing" with most cockers as the word "cocker" comes from them being used to flush woodcock from undergrowth  :wink:
It is certainly that time of year for birds.....my garden is constantly singing at the moment and Buttons spends ages trying to catch the birds, I'm actually sure they tease her by either sitting on the fence just beyond reach or sitting on next doors grass so she can look but can't touch      which of course drives her insane  :roll:
I would imagine that it's probably been a cat thats killed the bird and Indies just got lucky  :wink: She has obviously been so proud and wanted to show you her "prize"     I'm not sure if she could catch anything...I suppose it wouldn't do anyharm to clean her teeth  
I don't think there is anything you can do really to stop this behaviour although others may have ideas for you  :wink:                    

[Magic Star]

Thanks Gilly!

Another daft question!

Would a cocker eat a dead bird, if left with it?
 :roll:  :shock:  :?

And I feel awful, the pair of wood pigeons have been coming to my garden for months and months, yesterday the two were making babies, and I don't know if you know this, but woodies mate for life, at the moment, theres one woodie on the tree, looks so lonely  :cry:  Poor thing!                    

[Sarah_S]

Would a cocker eat a dead bird, if left with it?
 :roll:  :shock:  

Depends on the dog, but yes  :wink:                    

[Anita]

Emma

Ewwwwww - poor you. At least it was dead and you didn't have to catch it to rescue it :roll: . I think if a dogs left with a dead thing it might well try to eat it! They are scavengers so nothing would surprise me. I don't think she'll have killed it herself though unless she surprised it :wink: .

I didn't know that about woodies mating for life - I've got a pair that come into my garden too.                    

[Loraine]

I think that it would have been unlikely that Indie killed the bird, they are too quick for that.  

This is Candy's major past time.  When I go out I have to keep the living room curtains closed because she spends most of her time jumping up at the window getting really frustrated because she can't chase the birds.  My neighbour couldn't understand what she was barking at until I explained that it was the birds.   :roll:

If I let her out the back she tears down the garden barking madly but she has never caught a live one...yet!   Yesterday when we were out on the Downs she took off trying to catch one; when she gets like this, there's not a chance she'll ever come back if called.  

I reckon it was a cat that killed the bird and Indie brought it in to show off.

Loraine                      

[TOPAZ BILLY]

Emma,

Sorry this did make me chuckle If got visions of little Indie carrying the wood pigeon so daintly and proudly to show mum and you running in the opposite direction

Billy likes to chase birds but as with cats if one ever confronted him he would run a mile :roll:

Michelle                    

[Magic Star]

Emma,

Sorry this did make me chuckle If got visions of little Indie carrying the wood pigeon so daintly and proudly to show mum and you running in the opposite direction  
Michelle

  Michelle, its hard to believe she could carry it isn't it, with her being so tiny :wink:   I did run but it was more like a cartoon run, on the spot not getting anywhere, and I had no idea I could scream so loud :shock:                    

[Mike]

Just be thankful Indie isnt a cat, as my two (cats!) would probably have bitten it's head off and started playing football with it                      

[Maria]

I think Indie might have just picked up a cats kill, or was very,very quick, and followed instinct. Last year in Yorkshire Boysie chased, caught and killed a rabbit. We made him drop it, and then he looked at us as if to say 'did I do that?'.                    

[Georgie]

Yuck, poor you. I don't know if this is normal or not, but Bailey hasn't brought in or killed any birds, and is normally friendly with all animals.                    

[ziggy]

we have just been away and jasper stayed with friends,when we went to collect him(dying to munch him) we discovered he had terrorised the chickens,our friend had to keep a very watchful eye on him,he is a cocker and will chase birds of any type,,we were very embarrassed to think jasper was hoofing after their chickens,,not that i,m laughing or anything    :oops:                      

[Pammy]

The bird was probably dead when she got it - but that's not a guarantee by any means.  

They can and will catch living things if that's in their nature. Some never bother others do. A couple of years ago now, some of you may remember, Jasper and Buddy got a lamb and it was all by instinct as they rounded it up. They didn't hurt it but would have done had we not got there. Yet to look at how they normally are you wouldn't think they had the sense to work our what to do - but when instinct kicks in - stand back and prepare to be shocked :shock:                    

[Magic Star]

The bird was probably dead when she got it - but that's not a guarantee by any means.  

They can and will catch living things if that's in their nature. Some never bother others do. A couple of years ago now, some of you may remember, Jasper and Buddy got a lamb and it was all by instinct as they rounded it up. They didn't hurt it but would have done had we not got there. Yet to look at how they normally are you wouldn't think they had the sense to work our what to do - but when instinct kicks in - stand back and prepare to be shocked :shock:

Oh my goodness Pammy! A LAMB!! Good job you got there in time!  Well we have come to the conclusion what happened to the bird, we have a conservatory and haven't got around to putting blinds on yet :roll:  after the whole bird incident, we found a mark on the window, and we think that the bird may have flew into the window :?  

It is hard to believe that our cuddling pet cockers, would hurt or kill anything, but then I guess you are right, its their instinct I suppose :roll:  Indie is quite noisey when chasing things, so I am hoping it was the window and not Indie that killed it :wink:                    

[Lindaphills]

There you go Emma, this is Indie telling you that she would really love a nice raw chicken wing    :?:  :shock:  :shock:  


sorry Em just couldn't resist :wink:  :wink: