Last night, I subbed two evening classes. I am normally a morning workout person, and truthfully, a morning person in general. My mind starts to slow down after 4pm or so, I was glad to teach two strong classes, then Bailey and I ran a couple errands on the way home. She settled into a few last math problems, and I headed out to water. I was half way through the watering when I realized something had eaten the majority of the leaves off the Pichu plant. Whoa! I posted on line for ideas,as I thought it hadn't hit the tomato plants.
By morning light, I was sick and not standing up well. I am hoping that qualifies for how I could have missed these giant worms blending in with the plants. But when someone had posted the idea when I was trying to read emails this morning, the kids offered to help. And they helped pull them off the plants- over and over and over...
The green horned worms grabbed hold of the kids fingers and didn't want to give up their muchies. The kids gathered them up and did want farm kids do with worms on a little farm.
The picked them one by one off the plants, and found them on other plants I hadn't noticed before. Then they put them in a big jar and went out on a little tour...
of the chicken coops.
Bugs and worms are great nutrition for the chickens, and considered to be one part of why pastured (non-factory farmed) poultry beat the factory farm poultry in terms of Vitamin D and many other nutrients in the eggs they produce. Dramatically, hands down, by leaps and bounds.
Unfortunately for the plants, but fortunately for the chickens, there were several worms.
While the roosters in this pen are favored by the hens for being nice and gentle, the clearly need a lesson in chivalry, they chose to eat first, and one even ran off with a hornworm without sharing!
I made a big deal of that discussion with Wyatt Clay. I sincerely hope to raise a good young man with manners and a servant's heart who knows how to be a gentleman, so I sure hope that the more we discuss it, the better it takes! And I hope he teaches those goofy chickens!
Anyhow, that is what happens to worms that eat our crops around here! The cycle of life, in a way. So perhaps this rambling is a lesson to me about no blogging when sick, but hope you all have a great night, and a beautiful tomorrow. Feed your animals well, water precisely, and check for bugs. Any crazy stories to share? We would love to hear them!
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