My squash are finally about done, having fallen prey to the SVBs but mostly to the squash bugs. However, I discovered that my chickens love to eat the latter, so I have been heaving long-tentacled squash plants over the poultry yard fence so that they'll take care of them for me. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to watch those horrible critters get gobbled up by sharp beaks! Unfortunately that still left a mess of them on the ground in the garden, so I scooped up a likely-looking chicken, tethered her to a piece of twine, and tried to interest her in doing some out-of-poultry-yard snacking. Alas, it didn't work. She was too unhappy at being tied at the neck and the leg, but I was not going to risk having her escape and ruin what is still growing in my garden! She did nibble on some chicken feed that we threw in front of her to get her into the mood for some fine dining, but she totally ignored the tasty grey morsels creeping around at her feet. What an ungrateful fowl! So back to the chicken yard she went, and very thankful to be there she was, I could tell. Some chickens just don't want their horizons broadened!
DH was very sorry he didn't have a video camera - he was threatening to put my experiment up on Youtube....
I ended up squishing whatever bugs I could find with my shoes and fingers.
Chicken Patrol - NOT
tried that once.. ended up with a chicken flying circles around my head while i tried to real her in by the line tied to her ankle. After retrieving her, looking around to make sure no neighbors saw this.. i walked across teh street to inform the old man next door that leashing a chicken does not work.. at all. If he wants to teach me the proper way to put a leash on a chicken to walk them he is welcome.. but next time he gets to look stupid not me. :)
Greykyttyn: Maybe Greenhouse-gal should move to Missouri, then the two of you could put on a show for us. LOL I could just see the two of you together with chickens going crazy.
:p scared me to death bc he didn't tell me certain chickens didn't like it & would fly. I was so afraid I was gonna break her little leg trying to catch her or she'd wrap herself around a tree limb & I'd hang her. NEVER gonna try that one again. It scared me too badly.
Mine didn't fly; she just wasn't interested in the squash bugs. She stood there hoping that someone would let her out of her misery - except when we scattered some pellets. No reason why it shouldn't have worked - it just didn't. Drat! All that protein going to waste!
mine eat every blasted bug in the yard but those little black bity bugs that fly & swim. My pool is fully of them about dusk. Wish my chickens would listen & eat them.
Sorry!!! But your both just to cute and funny for your own good. EWWW! Greenhouse_gal, you just smashed those bugs with you lil ole finger! No gloves on. EWWW Even I can't do that, your my hero. Grey you just stay away from me with any string or twine ok.
I was playing with a tiger on Thursday..(YES A TIGER) and in telling me the woes of people who are always adamant that this tiger who has been in captivity since a cub and now is 9, should be turned back to the wild...the girl told me the story of the rooster.
One day a woman brought a rooster into the store where the tiger is and said I can't take it anymore this rooster is so mean I am donating it to the tiger.....so.. they put the rooster in with Lily (tiger)....
They came back in the morning to find Lily and monster rooster fast friends. She did say the rooster was sweet as could be from then on. I guess I would get that message too...
Ginger
Hay, I have gotten to the point where I can smush bugs ungloved. I get so frustrated with them that in a way it's quite satisfying. I admit that it's a bit off-putting, but if I don't have any implements I'm NOT going to let them get away. I do Colorado potato bugs, too. I draw the line at hornworms, though. Some things are just TOO icky.
Beadmom, I'll bet that rooster had its comeuppance after a night with the tiger. It reminds me of this joke:
"A young man named John received a parrot
as an early Christmas gift.
"The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.
Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and
laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's
attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing
soft music and anything else he could think of to 'clean up'
the bird's vocabulary.
"Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot.
The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot
got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation,
threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and shoved him into
the freezer.
"For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.
Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for
over a minute.
"Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door
to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's
outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you
with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful
for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do
everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior".
"John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he
was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic
change in his behavior, the bird continued............
'May I enquire as to what the turkey did?' "
oh my...............lolol.
Grow, are you laughing at the parrot joke or at the mental image of someone with a chicken on a string trying to tempt her with squash bugs?
I do love that joke!
All of it....but...the turkey was surely one serious sinner.....
I know. I always unconsciously try to anticipate the punch line of jokes I hear, but this one came as a total surprise! Those are the best kind!
got me too!!