I know nothing. Fresh eggs are nice.

If you have room for them, chickens are a great addition to the garden. They eat bugs, slugs and snails and as they are strolling the garden they are dropping great fertilizer behind them. They are destructive in scratching the soil and can destroy newly planted seedlings and sprouting seeds. The Americana chicken doesn't scratch as much as other varieties and lays a pretty blue colored egg.

Yes. We had the house bunnies when my boys were little. We had them in two different homes. One big lop-eared rabbit who was a sweetie and cuddly. Years later we had a pair that ended up being brothers. One wanted to be free and ran off. The other was a good pet and we let him have the run of the house. He would go into his cage to pee and shit like it was a litter box. I have been told that you can train a rabbit to use a litter box. Robbin was with us for a long time. We could even take him out on the lawn and he followed us around and back inside. In the evening he would sit on our lap while we watched TV. He loved Popcorn and had huge sweet tooth. He found Halloween candy once and that was probably what did him in in the end... You have to be careful of what your pets can get at both inside the house and out.

I just found out that Ferrets are the third most popular house pet in the country. I only knew two people with ferrets: my two sisters. One of my sisters had her ferret for forever it seemed.... 5 years maybe more. Lucy would sometimes get loose outside and then reappear days, weeks later. It is hard to keep a small animal safe from predators outside. Once an animal has the freedom to roam outside it is hard to keep them contained... even if you let them have the run of the house, they are curious and will want to seek adventure. It was very cute to see this little animal interact with the dogs.They got along very well. My dog OZ would probably not be a friend to the ferret.

Yes that is what they mean by free range but be careful about letting them run freely in a backyard because they can get into some trouble. They can eat your vines, flowers, and plants. They can wander happily into your neighbors yard or the road so you will need some kind of fencing.

I still know nothing, but fresh eggs are nice.

Yes you can, but if you are in a neighbor hood you may need to clip their wings. Clipping their wings does not hurt them if it is done carefully and correctly. Ask you General Feed Store where you bought the chicks. Clipping their wings makes them very vulnerable to prey: a neighbors dog, a raccoon, fox. Remember that clipping their wings if you are in a larger yard or rural area may be a risk to their safety. I recently had a Hawk pluck a young chicken right off my lawn when I was near.

Free Range is a term used in the meat industry and we think these chickens have been treated kindly and have had a happy comfortable life while growing up to become our food or lay eggs for us. Evidently it doesn't always mean what it says. The rules for Free Range are suprisingly small range and closed quarters... Questionable still.

Try raising your own chickens for eggs. Just a few wll give you the occasionable eggs you need. One will lay 2 to 4 in the warmer months. They slow down to one a day in the winter... Somedays maybe even none at all in colder climates. They respond to light and warmth so keeping them comfortable will encourage them to produce for you when it is cold outside. Chickens are great for keeping the snail and insect populations down in the garden. They can be destructive to your garden though, and scratching the lawn and eating your newly sprouting vegetables... Some varieties aren't big scratchers and will be easier on your landscaping.

They make the sweetest noises, cluck cluck clucking along.

Of course you can't unless you clear it with them. If you think they might mind they probably will. It is often an imposition to bring your dog to other people's homes.

Was he invited?

Yeah, was he invited? How well do you know them? Is it a dog you share with the boyfriend/ their son? Do you live together with this pet?

If they have a rambling yard and their dogs like other dogs and your dog doesn't chase their cat, then sure go ahead and ask your boyfriend if he would ask his parents. If it is a first visit I would just say "NO" and see how you all get along without the burden of needing to look after your dog.

I have a dog who is a sweety but is very territorial with other dogs. I have also had other peoples visiting dogs kill my chickens on an overnight... Not fun. I appreciate that most people have better behaved dogs than I have, but I would rather enjoy your company than worry about how my dog will behave with your dog. Let the relationship develop or wait for them to say " why don't you bring your dog along".

This is not the best idea as the dog can get tangled. It is too many hours to be unsupervised.  Then if he gets barking neighbors will have a right to complain.  Some places let you take your dog to work if they are well behaved.  It is a big decision to get a dog if you must leave him alone all day.  Dogs are social animals and generally stress to be without their beloved owner whether left inside or out.  That's one reason many people opt for 2 dogs.

I'm not a fan of tying up dogs at all. When you leave for work, you should take your dog on a nice long walk before you go, then bring them inside. Hopefully you can come home to let the pet out at lunch. If you have a fence yard and a well behaved dog, you probably could leave the dog for awhile. You must be considerate of your neighbors if you have a dog that barks.

It is hard to leave dogs at home. Cat's are simpler. I don't like to tie them up as they can get stuck on a short leash after wrapping themselves around a tree or even strangle. Tying up should only be done if you are home to keep an eye on them. Also if your dog is leash trained and you tie them up briefly outside a store as you are walking them and stopping for coffee. Although so many places are pet friendly now. If you have a small dog leaving them inside is safer than outside. Some of our dog breeds today are so small a hawk might pick them up out of the yard. Larger dogs are hard to leave inside as their "accidents" are not easy to live with. The best is to have a fenced in yard for larger animals. Small animals are more easily crated for the day or left indoors when they are house trained. Be sure that they are safe, especially if they are young as you don't know what kind of trouble they may get into yet. Some are chewers.... Some are attracted to anything that smells... You could save your self some stress if you keep everything out of their way when leaving them home alone. As they get older you will find out what they are still going to get into. Some dogs don't grow out of their bad habits. Training helps, but I haven't had a lot of luck with that. Cindy had a sock eating dog who came close to death several times when he had a sock stuck in his intestine... Dear Ollie... He was a BIG DOG... Rest in Peace.

The males are the singers.

Tweetee does

I don't know, but I would hope they do when they are happy. I do think it is so sad when I heard they were used to protect miners deep underground to let them know when the oxygen was running out. The dead canary... Canary in a Coal Mine by the Police... not a great place for the canary.

In the cities and suburbs you do or you can get a fine. It is courteous to pick up after your dog anywhere that people are walking.

This is a question that I think we have to re-think. You are taking something natural and organic and putting it in a plastic bag and throwing it away. Yes, You do need to clean up after your dog in the city, in a public place where it could be stepped on or on your neighbor's lawn, it's the law in many places. But, in some public places, I'm thinking it might be OK to shovel the shit into a wooded area instead of wrapping it in plastic and finding the nearest garbage can. You can train your dog to do his/her business where you want him/her to go. Take him out on leash and reward him/her for going in the place you have chosen. And if that place is in your suburban back-yard, have a way to shovel it where it is needed, it will make the flowers grow.

Clean up after your dog whether it is your neighborhood sidewalk or your own back yard. I live on some acreage and thankfully the dogs go far into the woods usually to do their business. Everynow and then they shit on the lawn and I think it is too insult me aor to mark the territory for the wild animals to know they are present.

When visiting a friend and your dog shits in the yard, front or back, please clean it up. Put it in their trash. I see what Michelle is saying about plastic and we don't need to use extra plastic at a home site so find some old newspaper perhaps and roll it up and put it in your friends trash cans. Don't just throw it in with a shovel or the shit may be stuck on the can itself if it isn't lined with plastic. When you are in a rural area just be aware of what your hosts dog does and if they shit on the lawn or lanscaped areas please pick it up. Ask your host where they want it deposited, otherwise they will be cursing your dog and you when you leave.

Even if the dog seems to be unsocial with other dogs, if it is his home then his dog deserves to be the free dog here. Please be sensitive and ask before just showing up with your dog. No matter how sweet and well socialized your dog is, you don't know how the home owner feels about having other peoples pets around. Even pet allergies can make it difficult for some of my friends to give me a hug if I have a cat or rabbit that I have been in proximity with.

I don't know, where are you seeing them?  This has been a weird winter and while rabbits usually find a safe place to hide from the wind and cold, in a winter with little or no snow, they will come out and forage.  I throw fruit and veggies that have past their prime out back, bringing rabbits, foxes and deer to the property. (we live in the woods, in the middle of nowhere)  It drives the dog crazy when they come, but I enjoy watching them.  Check out this sweet little site, I checked my rabbit facts here. 

Itchy skin in dogs can be anything from food allergy, to environmental sensitivity. Try changing your dogs diet and see if that helps. At the same time, clean the bedding and keep the house vacuumed in case it is a flea allergy. I recently learned that there are fleas everywhere and that even if you don't have a bad flea situation and aren't " infested" with fleas, that still they are everywhere around in the house and in the soil in your garden and on your lawn.

Some dogs get stressed and bored if you leave them alone for long periods of time. This bordom can lead them to bite and chew their paws and scratch. Just as we can chew at our fingernails and scratch a scab while we are taking a long exam.

Talk to your vet, but I did this and wasn't very satisfied with the help I found there.

Talk to another vet if the problem continues.

Somethings that can be a cause to itchy skin in your dog:

• Food
• Fleas
• Pollens
• Immune disorder( my brothers dog has this and it is sadly very uncomfortable for their sweet dog and he was born with this)
• Stress

Fish oil and a lot of brushing.  A good vacuum is a must, and a lint brush!  The furminator is great  for getting the undercoat.  Be gentle with this brush (my akita Queenie doesn't like it).

Regular grooming will help with excessive shedding. In between trips to the groomer, brush your dog and add fish oil to their food (about a teaspoon).

I have found a solution: my dogs are both breeds that have HAIR not FUR and they don't shed, but their "hair" does grow and so they need to be groomed from time to time to get their "hair" clipped. This is another dilemma, but not having hair/fur on the furniture and all over your clothes is great. It is also great for people who have fur and dander allergies. My dogs are a Bouvier and a Wheaten Terrier. Other breeds that do not shed are Poodles, Portuguese Water dogs, Yorkshire Terriers...