Hen Chronicles: Snow keeps her eyes on the prize

When I started digging compost into one of our garden beds the other day, “the girls” took notice. They know from past experience that each shovelful of dirt is likely to include a worm or two, some of which probably will get tossed their way.

Sure enough, worms did materialize, and I threw a few onto the top of the hens’ pen, where they promptly fell in on their own or were pulled down by Snow, Nellie and Hope. Eventually, Nellie and Hope, our Rhode Island Reds, retreated into the coop to lay their eggs. But our Plymouth Rock, Snow, who usually lays every other day, was on her day off. She stayed put in the pen, in case more worms rained down from the sky.

Snow paced back and forth at the front of the pen, watching my every move to make sure she would be ready if another worm got launched in her direction. A few more did take flight, and Snow quickly gobbled them down. The last one landed on her back, and although I thought she'd have to shake it off, she managed to turn her head with owl-like agility to grab the worm.

That’s when I called it quits, because I didn’t want to overdo it. (Cleaning up chicken poop is one thing, but chicken diarrhea is quite another.)

Eventually, Snow realized that the party was over, even if my work in the garden was not. Had they still been in the pen, Nellie and Hope might have chosen to sit down at that point, and watch quietly as I went about my business a few feet away.

But not Snow, she of the voracious appetite.

Once Snow figured out that the worm buffet was closed for the day, she did just what I expected her to do. She turned tail and raced straight to the feed bowl, to see what additional goodies were to be found there.