Quite suddenly, my geese have developed a taste for protein! Their favorite meal du jour?Earthworms.
Yes, EARTHWORMS!!!!!
Let the battle begin! This might get ugly!
How did it start? I will tell you...Ordinarily, the geese swim in a large plastic kiddie pool. However, once it got colder and the water began to freeze, the pool was likely to crack. So, instead, I picked up two large rubber basins to use during the winter months. They proved to be low maintenance and they had an added benefit...their wet bottoms attracted worms. Beautiful, fat worms for me -- or, I should say, for my garden!
Now it seems that the goose girls are on to me. When they see me changing their water, it's as if I have sign hanging over my head that says "FREE LUNCH!!!"
It's unfair! It's two against one! They can wolf them down faster than I can pick them! However, I would not be a good goose mom if I didn't let them have a FEW, right? They need a balanced diet and if that includes protein...
I have a solution! To paraphrase Marie Antoinette..."LET THEM EAT SLUGS!!"
I bet the slugs don't taste near as good!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in an old neighborhood -the house was built in 1911, with mature trees all around, I used to see HUGE earthworms. I mean, these things were close to 12 inches and longer when moving and as thick as a #2 pencil. Hardly anyone believes me when I tell them, except for my wife and my brother, who saw them. Your geese would love those!
Ducks in my hometown regularly poke at soft and wet soil,.... now I know they are searching for worms!! .... cheers! ~ bangchik
ReplyDeleteDavid -- I hear you! When I was little, we had an above-ground pool in the yard. When my dad got rid of it, there was a worm exactly the size that you just described!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bangchik for picking my post today!
Ewwww ... worms. And fat some more. I can almost feel them wriggling on my palms. Ewww ...
ReplyDeleteOh, but earthworms are so much more tender and delicious than slugs, I would guess. I know birds need their protein but I always feel like I've lost a friend when I see one get a worm! Those worms do so much work for us in the garden, we need all that we can get. Hope you win at least some of the get-to-the-worms races!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have saved quite a few worm lives!
ReplyDelete