Fowl Play

A couple of weeks ago we were picking blueberries at Whitney's, which is an agri-tourist farm that has a shop, playground, and petting zoo, in addition to u-pick crops. At the end of the day, we visited the chickens, who share their coop with a peacock. From having chickens at home, we know they love the leafy greens, so we were hand-feeding them weeds through the wire. Curious to see if peacocks enjoy the greens as well, I was holding a leaf at peacock level when a chicken surprised me by vaulting straight up into the air to steal it. I'm not talking about a running jump, but a completely vertical ascent like a rocket launch. I've discovered that all chickens will do this when baited with a tasty leaf, and this has become a favorite diversion at home. It's good for endless laughs, as they look absolutely ridiculous!

Check out those drumstick gams.

Turnabout is fair play, I've heard, and the chickens made a "Kentucky-fried idiot"* of me this week. I was chasing my Orpington named Honey to catch her when I slipped on the wet grass and broke my wrist! As Rocky Balboa's coach said, if you can catch a chicken, you can catch greased lightning.
*Here's a link to the Rocky scene . . . I feel your pain, Sly.

The victim and the culprit . . . which is which?

If chickens make you laugh, check out Patrick Merrell's upcoming puzzle book, Fowl Play, releasing in November. Puzzles, humor, trivia, chickens. Sounds like a hit.


Alethea Morrison, Creative Director