The Trouble with Chickens

Trying to conserve water, reduce evaporation, all that sort of thing, I spread bark mulch underneath my shrubs. It looks nicer than bare earth too. Great idea, right?



Except for one thing. My neighbor has chickens and they dig in it. So every time that I sweep it off the brick walkway and back under my shrubs, the chickens invade and scratch it all back onto my patio.



That's me above. Only I don't get the eggs!



When I lived in Oklahoma, we had problems with a neighbor who had cows. He believed since he sold the land to folks on the ridge and the rest of the land around us was his cattle grazing land, he shouldn't have to fence them in. That we had to fence his cattle out. Didn't work. The calves got beyond my split rail fence, the cows reached their heads underneath the lower posts and yanked out all of my newly planted shrubs, killing them. After all that work of planting around 30 shrubs, I was pretty angry.



Now, I like animals. And I have to admit those doe-eyed cows and calves tugged at my heart, but the farmer only cared about eating them. And he didn't care anything about what they did to the properties that he'd sold to others.



Free range went out a couple of centuries ago! Free range meant he could graze his cattle anywhere. Then barbed wire fencing came into fashion. Instead of barbed wire though...I just got a lawyer's letter explaining we weren't living in "that" world any longer and he had to fence his cows to keep them contained off our property. He moved his cows, knowing he couldn't put fences up here, and there, and everywhere. Too many homesteads. The property all cut up. Talk about wanting your beef and eating it too!



I still love living out with the "wild" animals.



Only, I wish they'd quit messing with my garden! The good thing about the chickens is they do eat bugs. Have at it! I've got plenty of those!



Ever have problems with neighbor's pets???



Terry

"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."

www.terryspear.com