The Bovine Bugle

Birds of a different feather come for the feed

With the weather turning colder and the first snowfall having come several weeks ago, Karen starts filling the bird feeder for all the wild birds in the area. The feeder hangs from the butternut tree on the lawn, and usually attracts the normal crowd. Chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays, sparrows, starlings, woodpeckers, the occasional cardinal, mourning doves, and other various birds visit the spot for a bite to eat.

One other bird variety has found the bird feeder a good place to have a snack. As soon as Karen had filled up the feeder for the first time, the chickens found the seed that had fallen on the ground and quickly gobbled it up. Now, every morning when the chickens are let out the bird feeder is the first place they go. Karen even wonders if they fly up and bump the feeder to make more seed fall on the ground. We haven't witnessed this first hand, but we wonder how much seed gets knocked on the ground. It may be just from the wild birds use of the feeder.

When one of my beef/poultry customers stopped by yesterday for a turkey, she had a good chuckle watching the chickens. Her husband would like some, but she is a little hesitant about it. I told her if she wanted entertainment the chickens would certainly provide it. You just never know where they will get to next. Whether it's under the bird feeder, sitting on top of the tractor, inside the wheel hub of the truck, or on the deck pecking at the patio door, they are always finding some new place to explore and often in a comical way.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at November 22, 2005 07:23 PM