Peaceful coexistence in the farmyard?

Val’s in England for a week, enjoying being a mother/grandmother. And I’m enjoying the farm.

The farmyard is a lovely place to spend time. We now allow the chickens to roam freely for most of the day. After a couple of hours in the morning, to encourage egg laying in the right place, I open the gate and allow the queued chickens on to the grass. Initially, we thought we might make this into lawn. Now we’ve realised it’s much more fun as a chicken playground.

After feeding and grooming llamas, it’s a real pleasure to sit with a drink and watch the chickens pacing around, chasing bugs, pecking grain, scratching holes, and ranging free. The chickens have rapidly acclimatised, and are treating the place as their own. They’re remarkably confident birds, and I’ve had to evict them from our seats several times.

We wondered how the cats and dog would react to the newly liberated fowl.

Max, not surprisingly, largely ignores them. He’s an old dog, and doesn’t allow a few birds to disturb his pursuit of relaxed comfort. The adult cats are disdainful, and pretend the chickens don’t exist. The kitten is not so sophisticated, and wants to check out these potential playmates. Of course, both chickens and cats are predatory animals and any interaction has the potential for bloody conflict.

As if to remind me of the need for caution, Big Cat has taken to public display of her hunting prowess.

All this peace and charming entertainment hides a bloody reality. Perhaps the peaceful coexistence is only an uneasy truce among equal species?