My relationship with chickens has been up and down. Not only do they steal the cat food right out from under them, they love to take smelly and slimy chicken dumps on the back porch. Maria is cheerful about this, but it makes me edgy, and I am known to drive the chickens away with brooms, water hoses and shoes.

I will admit that sometimes i turn the water house on and ambush the hens when they come for the cat food, popping up around the corner of the house and spraying hose water on them. They cluck indignantly and run off, but always return the second I go in the house.

I cannot honestly say that chickens are dumb, they can be  crafty, but they sure are smelly sometimes.

Needless to say, this has strained our relationship somewhat. I am working to regain their trust and affection, I don’t want there to be any unpleasantness lingering with me and my animals. So I have a giant bag of mealworms and twice a day, I throw some  handfuls out to the hens.

They love mealworms, and they are beginning me in a new light. Chickens, like most dogs, are a bit whorish, they tend to love whoever feeds them, especially whoever feeds them mealworms. Now, they let me come right up to them with the camera and  follow me around the pasture hopefully.