[caralouise1974]

I've just been out to check that our automatic pop hole door opener/closer has done it's work for the night, and as I shone the torch towards the door of the coop caught a glimpse of a brown 'lump' outside the run/coop. Closer inspection revealed a cute little Mr Hedgehog with his snout in the dish of water I leave out for our girls when they are on free range.

Of course, I do try and remember to rinse this dish every day before letting them out on free range, but sometimes, I'll be honest, I forget, and in all likelihood might well have done tomorrow morning, if I hadn't caught Mr Hedgehog in the act!

Can the girls catch anything from Mr Hedgehog? I'm sure this isn't the first time he's had a little tipple at the girls' expense, so perhaps I'm too late, bit it would be good to know what they might have been exposed to.

[Roughlee Handled]

I would guess not but could not say for definite.  You sound as paranoid as I was when I first got chickens.

Try one of these for the chickens as this will stop the hedgehog drinking from it. But please leave the saucer out for him/her.
http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Plastic_Poultry_Drinkers.html

[caralouise1974]

Thanks roughleehandled, I shall stop worrying about Mr Hedgehog and his germs. I just remembered my mum telling me what filthy creatures hedgehogs were when I was little ('covered in fleas' apparently!) and thought the girls might pick something nasty up from him.

I also read on another forum earlier that hedgehogs have been known to kill adult chickens whilst they are roosting/brooding! Sounds far fetched to me, but still... I shall make sure that their fenced pen is secure every night from now on so he can't get in (I doubt he would be able to get actually inside their actual coop or covered run though, but you can't be too careful with predators can you?).

I have that exact drinker by the way - we use it inside the girls' run as their main drinker. The dish is only an 'extra' for the hour or two a day that they are out on free range, just to save them having to go back inside their run for a drink. I have a spare in the shed actually, so I may take that out and use it for their free range time instead of the dish.

The dish can stay at the other end of the garden for Mr Hedgehog!

[Roughlee Handled]

I have never heard of a killer hedgehog and I doubt if they could even reach a roosting chicken.  When it comes to livestock there is a whole mind field of "old wives tales" that are nothing but rubbish.  Yes hedgehogs can have flees but so can dogs and cats.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Sounds pretty far fetched to me too! Sure it wasn't a badger they were talking about.

[caralouise1974]

Sounds pretty far fetched to me too! Sure it wasn't a badger they were talking about.

Definitely a hedgehog - apparently they bite into their head and neck area in order to drink the blood, and the chicken subsequently bleeds to death.

Vampire hedgehogs? Whatever next??!!?!? 

[Kate and her Ducks]

And the chicken just sits there while this happens?! Sounds like B****cks to me but I don't have chickens (or hedgehogs!). I thought they basically lived on insects, slugs and worms.

[Vember]

Had quite a few hedgehogs here over the years, kept near to hens    I've yet to see one start to drool at the sight of a hen, let alone get it's fangs out    

Now if you were talking about a stoat or a rat even i could believe that, but not a hog 



Sarah