Smart Chicken...

We have a local chicken processing plant that bills their chicken as "Smart Chicken".

I think we have one of their top "scholars" living at this Hillbilly ranch....

We have four goats that are in milk right now, so we - or THEY - generate a good amount of milk. We end up making cheese at least once a week.

There's nothing better then fresh Mozzarella cheese made from goat milk...

Anyway, this cheese making process creates a nice supply of whey. We usually give a bit to the dogs - even though they don't like it much, and send the rest to the cats and vultures....er....chickens.

On one of my many scrounging trips, I came home with several crisper drawers from old refrigerators. Some of these are metal, but most have been plastic. I use them for storing all kinds of things.

I also use them to feed things to the cats and chickens.

The one drawer I use for feeding the whey is a large plastic one. it has a flat bottom for the most part, but it slopes up about 8" from the back. The best way to describe it is a small "swimming pool" it has a deep end and a shallow end.



Over the past few weeks, I have probably filled the drawer with whey 9 or 10 times. Every time, the chickens and cats come running. A few dive right in. I've also begun to give the cats theirs in a separate dish because the vultures chase them off....

After the whey is gone - it usually takes about two hours - the drawer is abandoned to await the next feeding frenzy.

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to mow where the drawer was, so I went to move it. As I reached down to grab it, I felt it MOVE...

Now, I KNOW that it had been sitting upside down like it was for at LEAST 3 days, but thought nothing of it.

I looked in through the transparent drawer front and saw the captured villain - one of my Cornish Cross Roosters. I tossed it off of him and he scampered away - albeit, not very thankful. He probably thought I was responsible for his near demise. The three days he had been in there were nasty hot and humid. I'm surprised he wasn't fried.

At any rate, I set it back upright and even filled it with whey later that afternoon. I figured that that was the end of it.

Nope.

It happened AGAIN last week. The Chicken Trap sprung once more - on the SAME bird-brain.

This time, I think he was only under there over night. The stupid bird is a gluten for punishment. He'll do just about anything for that last little tidbit.

Then, this morning, as I was walking out to milk, I looked over and saw --



I was thinking - "Naw, it CAN'T be..."

Well, it CAN be...



Once again, Mr IQ was under the trap.

Evidently, he doesn't have the sharpest beak in the coop...

While I'm not sure how long he was under it this time, I DO know it rained last night. Water ran down the slope and under the drawer, he was soaked and bedraggled when I let him out. Naturally, he blamed me.

The badge on the front of the drawer says it all....

"Chilled Meats"....

While Mr Genius may have the brain the size if a pea, at least he's a survivor...

I guess I'll have to find a new dish to feed the vultures.