You cannot see what Macho is doing in this photo... And you'll thank me for that when you read further on...
Our chickens are allowed out of their coop and pen for a period of time each day while the kids watch them closely. They are still small enough to become an easy victim in one of our cat's wildest predator/prey fantasies. Strangely enough, of all three of our dogs, our Pug seems the most interested in taking a big bite out of one of our chickens. This, coming from the dog that would usually rather lay on the couch than chase anything much less kill it. Nonetheless, we must keep him leashed while he's around the flock.
Macho seems to be the leader of the flock even though she is most likely a female. And Macho is the most daring and intelligent of the bunch. On this day, we saw the beginnings of a chicken chase and looked to see what the lead chicken had found. Protruding grotesquely out of Macho's beak was a wriggling Jerusalem Cricket. Alas, I didn't have my camera at that point (Note to self: must keep camera nearby when around the chickens). If you haven't seen one of these fat and juicy Jerusalem Crickets in real life, well they're rather disgusting. They are harmless, however. I remember feeling revulsed at the sight of them as a child----their black stripes alternating with that eery translucent sap color, their size, those big, wriggly legs and antennas, and the way they always seemed to surprise me when I least expected to find one. My daughter feels the same way.
Well, much to her delight, Macho found one and ran around the back of the coop to eat her prize in peace. That's what the top photo captures the image of----her slimy, messy, and delicious meal. My son watched in a kind of rapt captivation-----his face holding an impish grin, while my daughter hung back and groaned in disgust, slightly gagging. I couldn't bring myself to get close enough to document the meal in detail---this benign photo of a corn cob will have to do. Use your imagination. Or don't.
I told you you'd thank me!
