Leigh here -
This may be the last post I actually get to write myself for the next few weeks. I have taken off my brace just for the occasion - LOL. Surgery is tomorrow. (Please remember to send me your articles on natural chicken keeping methods!)
Anyhoo - since typing has been painful lately, this post will be mostly photos of an exciting event that took place in the chicken yard the other day.
This "event" serves as a reminder that our chickens need plenty of meat protein in their diets! This is most important if your flock does not free range very much.
Meat Penny -
(oops! Freudian slip!)
Penny is my Production Red hen who faithfully lays an egg every day. She hasn't taken a break from laying since she presented us with her very first egg a few months ago.
The other day while out free ranging, Penny scored BIG! She was lucky enough to catch our resident Blue-Tailed Skink. The chase lasted for about 15 minutes.
This may be the last post I actually get to write myself for the next few weeks. I have taken off my brace just for the occasion - LOL. Surgery is tomorrow. (Please remember to send me your articles on natural chicken keeping methods!)
Anyhoo - since typing has been painful lately, this post will be mostly photos of an exciting event that took place in the chicken yard the other day.
This "event" serves as a reminder that our chickens need plenty of meat protein in their diets! This is most important if your flock does not free range very much.
Meat Penny -
(oops! Freudian slip!)
Penny is my Production Red hen who faithfully lays an egg every day. She hasn't taken a break from laying since she presented us with her very first egg a few months ago.
The other day while out free ranging, Penny scored BIG! She was lucky enough to catch our resident Blue-Tailed Skink. The chase lasted for about 15 minutes.
If you find a lizard,
you will make a lot of friends!
Your friends will want to "see" your lizard.
Don't let them "see" your lizard.
Instead... Run!
Run as fast as you can until you find a private place to drop and inspect your lizard.
When you drop your lizard...
Inspect your lizard. Be certain that it is still a lizard.
If it is still a lizard, pick it back up,
and RUN!
Once you have run around enough to catch the attention of EVERY bird in the entire chicken yard,
hide... and EAT your lizard.
And that, my friends, is how to eat a lizard!
Tell us - what kinds of meat do you feed your flock (aside from lizards)?
By Leigh
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Same thing happened with the first mouse a girl caught outside their coop, she didn't waste too much time inspecting, ran and swallowed while all het coop mates were in swift pursuit!
ReplyDeleteI was in fear for my life! I could certainly see the likeness of their ancestor, the T-REX!!
GREAT PICTURES!
BEST OF LUCK WITH OPERATION..
Haha!! I love this, it's so 'chicken'! :D
ReplyDeleteHmmmm another thing you could raise to feed chickens! Leigh, I can just see you with a breeding pen full of lizards for the winter. :D
ReplyDeleteLM - totally LOL'd!!! My son was so upset when I told him that Penny had eaten the lizard that lived by the back door. If I raised them, there's no way he'd let me feed them to the chickens! :o)
DeleteWell, I have to admit that your story reminded me of my uncle's "pet" lizard. He lived in TX and it would come out and sit on the back house wall by the outdoor light and catch the bugs that came to the light. He/she was a different color than most so my uncle recognized it was there every night.
DeleteHe'd go out with the dog for a last "potty break" and smoke his pipe and enjoy seeing his lizard buddy.
I imagine he would have had the same response as your son if a chicken ate "his" lizard!
I caught my chickens eating a RAT the other day.
ReplyDeleteThey eat: mice frequently, bugs, butterflies, more mice, more bugs and mice again. I haven't seen them find any lizards. Great pictures!
I stepped out my front door the other day to my black sex link running from about 10 other chickens with a SNAKE in her beak. The snake was almost dragging the ground and she had her head as high as she could get it. So of course I took off after her to see if it was a poisonous variety. So after 3 laps around the house,in 100 degree weather, I decided that she could have it and then she promptly lost it to one of the younger but bigger boys and he was smart enough to run into some weeds and I assume, ate it. It was a water snake so non venomous, thank goodness. Then the next day, I saw the same black sex link with a field mouse, at least this time I didn't have to chase her to see what she had. I know of at least 2 snakes, 3 mice and countless lizards have been dinner for my huntresses.
ReplyDeleteGrubs and worms. A mouse family that unwisely lived in the chicken yard. Baby snakes. Blurgh.
ReplyDeleteCute post! My girls have caught and eaten field mice, a cardinal (I felt really really bad about that one and still can't figure out how they did it!), worms of course, baby snakes, toads, all sorts of beetles and bugs, although there are some types they turn their beak up with no rhyme or reason that I can see.. Our cat generally eats the butterflies and lizards so I haven't seen the girls get any of them.
ReplyDeleteI give them steak, lamb and pork bones leftover from our dinners and they pick them clean. And when I gave them the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, you should have SEEN the excitement!
Leigh, I hope your surgery went well, and that they gave you stuff so you feel no pain.
ReplyDeleteI think Penny is a Penny, not a production red. She has white showing through. You don't see that on production reds.. only red sex links :) So she is true to her namesake!
Yeah someone told me my RIR's were production RIR's. Don't know what production RIR's mean but whatever.
ReplyDeleteAnyway thought this was cute and hope your surgery went well and you're on the mends quickly!!!
Very cute!! thanks for making me laugh. Best of luck with your recovery.
ReplyDeleteGreat story and pics! Hope you recover easily and fast.
ReplyDeleteMel
Then again, for chicken excitement in the winter, you could always visit the pet store and buy a bag of crickets for them. 8) crickets don't make it far on snow-dusted ground by the way. Even if the chickens DIDN'T devour them all in about 10 seconds!
ReplyDelete