Pet Chatter

It’s been a schizophrenic summer. Can’t seem to decide between hot/cold or dry/wet and the absolute strangest August in my memory. The horses are absolutely loving this cool spell after those hot, fly-filled days in July. Today I turned them out in the back yard and they had a party. Misty was strutting around in beautiful self collection with her tail held high. Jasmyn was prancing and bucking. Merlyn couldn’t decide whether to buck and kick or tear around the grass . . . tearing up the grass. Oh they were a sight! The others joined in and they had a good ten-minute romp before they settled down to grazing.

This year our fledgling chicken flock has embarked upon a demonstration of geometric progression. With two hens and four roosters, the hens get quite a workout. In the spring they each sat on a dozen or so eggs. Three weeks later they each had half a dozen or so chicks. Three days later they each had two — which have turned out to be hens. Don’t ever discount the intelligence of chickens. They had set themselves up for a better quality of life by limiting the roosters and increasing the hen population. Harsh, but necessary in their opinion.

Last month the original hen was suddenly guarding 19 chicks. It seems her daughter had hatched hers but had no intention of raising them. (Perhaps they are all roosters, I won’t know until they are older.) After two days she had abandoned nine. So I gathered them up and brought them into the house to raise. Oh my can they cheep! Noisy little critters that needed to get back outdoors in a hurry. So I built them an enclosure and out they went at about two weeks.

Now except for the occasional cat stalking the pen, or the horses getting too curious, they are thriving. We lost one when Arlo tried to lift the pen and steal their feed, but the remaining eight are nearly doubled in size and testing out their little wings. One night it turned cold and I decided to bring them indoors except they were now able to fly right out of the box, so outdoors they stayed. Every day they tell me that they are ready to join the flock and every day I tell them that it is too soon. Just a few more weeks and I’ll set them free at which time I know they will have plenty to say.

The hen who abandoned her babies in the spring has since hatched out another brood of eight or nine. They move so quickly I can’t get an accurate count. So far she seems intent on raising all of them. From the original six we now have somewhere around thirty-eight. Geometric progression in action. Ha, ha, just wait until those spring insects arrive. Our chickens will have a feast and the horses will be able to graze in peace.

So what does all of this have to do with animal communication? Well, the point is that the animals are always communicating and if we but take the time to watch and listen, we can intuit at least some of what they are saying. For those times when you need more information, visit Pet Chatter.com and book a consultation. Your pets will thank you and you’ll be privy to a whole new world of their thoughts and feelings.