This week, the chickens are bemoaning the lack thereof.
Lady Mary: Where did they all go?
Peach: You don't suppose we could have eaten all of them?
Lady Mary: *burp*
Upon your suggestions, I let the chickens into the garden as of last Wednesday.
The plague of grasshoppers is no more.
I can only assume that: 1) either the grasshopper life cycle came to its natural conclusion,
2) or the chickens were starving,
3) or the grasshoppers ran for their lives when confronted by the carnivores.
Johnny: Please tell me this means I don't have to share my garden anymore.
Johnny: It was so much nicer without all the chicken poop.
Ah, yes, those who have never EXPERIENCED free ranging chickens don't know their digestive systems, either! Laying or pooping. Although those crunchy grasshoppers translate into nice strong eggshells, the by-products have to go somewhere...I would love to have some chickens this year. I have big brown grasshoppers for the first time here. Maybe there is a correlation...hmm.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks great. You may be so over Russian Sage, but they are relatively new to me and gorgeous. Also love the container plants on stands. Hmmmm. You just gave me an idea. But chickens? Like cats, I'll just enjoy yours. Aunt Jean
ReplyDeleteChickens would be very nice in my garden right now.
ReplyDeleteuntil your blog I never knew chickens ate any and everything. it has been a learning expericence
ReplyDeleteI have a chicken coop and chickens in my garden. Of course I have to fence off the beds. I have the attitude that anything I want gets fenced in and the animals roam the place. My car is in jail when it is home. So far very few grasshoppers and a few blister beetles that are staying by the front door not in the garden. Yea, chickens!
ReplyDeleteHurray for your chickens! And your garden is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLots of protein in the eggs, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteJohnny was a good boy for sharing his garden. Those little exterminators do a great job. We use quail for exterminating around here. They are good with bugs but they don't eat other critters.
ReplyDeleteWell done, flock, well done!! Love your "garden", really!
ReplyDeleteI believe the girls did the job. Now Johnny can have his garden back and stop pouting :)
ReplyDeleteNothing like Nature to get the job done, via chickens this time. I've decided Peach is my fave -- she's so lush & pretty. Johnny is a VERY good fellow to be hospitable to the girls; I'm not sure my cats are as nice as he is. Hey, your garden looks super!
ReplyDeleteGood job, chickens. Better than a vaccuum cleaner. (The rain will take care of the chicken poop)
ReplyDeleteJohnny is wise to keep his distance with carnivorous dinosauruses!
ReplyDeleteWow, I wonder how many were eaten by The Girls?! I think it's great that you have so many natural ways to take care of unwanted "pests"!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's back to JCC scraps for them?!?
Wow, leave it to those voracious chickens of yours to put an end to the grasshoppers!
ReplyDeleteAnd let me be the first to say that Lady Mary is one good looking chicken! My, what a sharp-looking hairdo -- er, comb she has!
Did your weatherman show you the big rainstorm East of you (in yellow) this morning? Well, sweetie pie, I know where the grasshoppers went! EAST! He said it looked like it was rainclouds in the atmosphere, but in actuality it was a swarm of grasshoppers. Huge...covered parts of several states.
ReplyDeletehttp://kfor.com/2015/07/22/massive-swarm-of-grasshoppers-and-beetles-picked-up-by-radar-headed-to-oklahoma/
Haha! They look like kids at the end of an Easter egg hunt..... Still running and searching and trying to hold out hope something good is still hiding :-)
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