Tracking Time

Yesterday we had our first snowfall. It seemed a bit early, but the first thing I do in the morning is open the shades and look for tracks. Those tracks prove which visitors we had in our yard overnight. Usually the first ones I see are those of the cuddly, grey rabbits. Not this year. The neighbors let their dogs run at night and I have not seen a wild bunny in months.

There are dog tracks to be sure. No surprise to see them. They begin at the neighbor's house, circle our back yard and meander into the front, across to next door and end up back at the neighbors who prefer their dogs to relieve themselves somewhere else. How thoughtful, I muse to know one in particular.

Later in the morning I layer warmly and go out into the back yard to do the daily chicken chores. Surprise! As I enter the garden I see the tracks of a turkey. Now I know the turkey routine. One scouts out the neighborhood during the first snow to see where the rest of the flock can feed during the food scarcity in the snow-covered woods a block away. In the past I fed the birds and would see one or two turkeys enjoying the feed scattered under the feeder. No problem, but within a few more days the entire group would devour the food both under the feeder, and somehow would jump to knock the seed out of the feeder.

First I would pound on the window and the turkeys would scatter. It did not take many days before they became bolder and would ignore my noise and continue feasting. Between the wild scavengers and the stray cats that came around, I reluctantly ceased the bird banquet.

But lo and behold, there were turkey tracks in our fenced in garden, also home to our chickens. It must have flown over the fence. The tracks ran across the back of the garden and then, to my dismay, into the chicken pen! I followed them around the pen and into the coop entry where I am certain he indulged in the easy-picking chicken food.

And my chickens, where were they? They were roosting snuggly inside the coop, having ignored the turkey, or the cold or both. I did not know for certain, but when I opened the coop for cleaning they fluttered out, wandered around in the pen, and tip-toed gingerly through the snow on the shoveled path in the garden. They waited for their scratch food, picked quickly and promptly returned to snow less coop.

I knew the turkey routine....find the goodies and return with the others another day. No way! My chickens would not leave the pen, let alone the coop so I closed the gate to the pen. I refuse to pay for turkey food. When they return they will no longer have easy access to the food purchased for the hens.

Sorry, turkeys. I know your routine and the tracks in the freshly fallen snow gave me the upper hand.You will have to scavenge at someone else's feeders. Your tracks gave you away.