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The reminder--Chickens are very hard to defend against chicken hawks. Cooper Hawks they are called, and their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. The whole hawk isn't much bigger than a chicken, but chickens are delicious, so hawks kill them anyway, especially when the chickens are enjoying their free range, open to the sky. Read More 

You'd think turkey would know me by now. I've had her nearly ten years, raised her from a chick--at least I watchd the White Silkie, Ms. Fluff, raise her after the second bear attack. I've been bringing her lay pellets and no more than 10% cracked corn for a long time. I let her raise a couple chicken chicks after she set for four weeks. I bring her apple cores and give her a bite of sandwich when we have lunch on the back porch. So why does she get all huffy and trill at me every morning now. Has she gone wild or something. Or is it my new brown winter hat with the puff ball on top? Maybe she'll recognize me when it gets warmer. Temple Grandin reminds us that what animals see is primarily what they get. Don't miss reading her book "Animals in Translation." http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Translation-Mysteries-Autism-Behavior/dp/0156031442/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1328901854&sr=8-4

What if there were aliens living in our solar system? Aliens native to our solar system, from some other world we hadn't yet discovered. Would they be after our resources, eager to enslave us, or better yet, eat us? Would they be wild, in our sense of the word ? I don't think so. Not if they are like most wild animals on Earth--those not on the hunt, driven by hunger. When well fed and respected, wild animals (and the wild birds I've known) recognize a friendly gesture--a peanut placed on the porch railing, a soft click and an extended hand to guide them out the door when they find themselves trapped inside the house, a crippled chicken tossed over the fence, just killed by two young hungry, hopeful coyotes. Read More