The Failure of African Politics.

Reading the outcome of the SADC meeting attempting to resolve the Zimbabwean crisis held on Sunday 9th November leaves far more questions than answers.
The most striking....why on earth the leaders continue to pander to Mugabe?
Here is a person continually dragging the African reputation into the mud. Ian Douglas Smith portrayed the African as being in-capable of governing a nation in any way. To illustrate that he used the host of failures in Africa at that time where none had progressed from where they took over from their colonial masters and most had regressed. Where wealth in the country was present, this was locked into the privileged few, mostly politicians. Furthermore this wealth was exported to safer banking systems so the population was denied twice, firstly by the money not being spread around and then secondly when the internal banking system was denied the currency to use for the advancement of the general public.
Mugabe has continued to prove Ian Smith correct having taken over a country with an efficient civil sector, growing manufacturing base, vibrant agricultural sector and a very diverse and profitable mining sector. The country should not have required international aid AT ALL, ever.

It is clear that African leaders cannot condemn Mugabe because they are actually all in the same boat. Making a mess of their countries on a daily basis. It has become clear that there is no saving Africa. It is only a matter of time before South Africa descends into the same path of oblivion.

Perhaps it is time that the Afroican continent was cut off from aid and told "Sink or Swim"

Using electric fence to protect poultry against fox

In order to test for myself the effectiveness of Electric Fencing in preventing Foxes from predating them, I was able to persuade a farmer to sell me 25 culled hens and let me use a field on his farm for a trial using netting.

The birds were split into 5 lots and housed adjacent to each other in five 150m2 runs (50m net) with an arc in each. The arc was left open so the birds could move at will. The pens were sited in line 5m away from the hedge row and 3m between runs.

Run One.
Control using plain chicken wire 1m tall, no electric fencing.

Run Two.
5 line standard fencing 1m tall and energised, no netting. Bait was used.

Run Three.
Standard Poultry netting 105cm tall with builders’ damp-course below the bottom line. Bait was used.

Run Four.
Livestok Sheep netting 105cm tall with builders’ damp-course below the bottom line. Bait was used.

Run Five.
Wolf netting 120cm tall with builders’ damp-course below the bottom line. Bait was used.

Runs two to five were linked to a 12v hotShock A15 energiser and registered 8000v when running. The bait stations were treated with a proprietary gravy mix twice weekly for three weeks and then left untreated on the fence thereafter. The ground between the runs was cleared by a harrow so that incoming spoor and reactions could be assessed.

The chickens and trials were inspected on a daily basis. The birds were fed and watered daily.

The first fox inspection occurred on night 3 when he tested a bait station on the Wolf net. His tracks indicated he got a shock and departed.

On night 5 a fox visited and walked around without attempting entry.

On night 6, all hens in the control were killed. There were signs that the fence was climbed over to gain entry.

On night 7, the Livestok Net and poultry net were tested in turn by the same fox. He was shocked by both and departed. No attempt was made to jump or climb over the nets despite being low enough for a fox to do so.

Visits from foxes were noted on several nights over the next 11 weeks but neither the nets nor fence was penetrated. Only twice were any of the fences tested again with the fox simply walking around the area. At no stage did the foxes try to jump over, nor to dig under despite they were quite capable of doing so.

The test was closed down 12 weeks after the inception.

This un-replicated and observation test suggests that Electric fencing is very effective in combating the threat of Foxes to free-range poultry. In my opinion the cheaper Sheep netting is as effective as the more expensive marketed poultry netting. That foxes do not jump over or dig under simply reinforces what is already known about animal behaviour regarding the electric field. They are unable to percieve its limits and extent, so do not try to go under or over the known field.