For a hen at the bottom of the pecking order , Baby Joreally does n’t have it that bad . The other hens let her sleep in the coop , and when she late adjudicate to endeavor to hatch a grasp of eggs in the corner , none of them hassled her .
But her status in the group is sorely obvious whenthe eatingis ripe . The other biddy track her away from the good clumps of scrape , the large pieces of chopped yield and the voluptuous bug in the horse stalling . She ’s the only hen not allowed to run through with the group . It ’s sad to see .
But Baby Jo has an outlet . It ca n’t be easy being the Z , and frustrations no doubt build up up . That ’s where the English hedge sparrow come in .
English sparrows are the omegas of the wild - bird crew , at least when it come to biologists . A non - aboriginal species that has driven many less adaptive songbird to near extinction , U.S. naturalists see the English sparrow as a blight . Those passionate about maintain bird feeder are n’t too thrilled with these LBBs ( little brown birds ) either . They get along in enceinte flocks , decimate all the ejaculate in a eater in a subject of transactions , and then fly off , leave behind nothing but their low-down behind .
Of course Baby Jo has no way of knowing the American bird watcher ’s view of English sparrows . Yet , she has somehow picked up on the fact that these skirt are below even her on the totem pole .
Baby Jo on a regular basis make her stand up on our pocket-size backyard lawn , where we jactitate the scar . This is where she forage for whatever is left after the repose of the flock have moved on to other endeavors . Although she may be the youngest and newest extremity of the flock , she becomes someone else altogether whenever an unsuspecting English sparrow land there to scavenge .
The translation is awful . Baby Jo go from mild mannered barnyard fowl to something out ofJurassic Park . She lowers her neck opening , project out her head and feed at the doll like a velociraptor . The poor sparrow take off with a surprised chirp , no doubt stunned that a giant gray monster is thrust insanely in his guidance .
I happen to like English sparrows and guess they are charming little birds despite their bad public image . So I was tempt to intercede in this drama by putting some confluent up near the lawn . I ’d replete them with chicken scratch and let the true sparrow eat out of reach of the demon Baby Jo .
But then I realized that Baby Jo probably needs to have someone she can boss around . Chasing sparrows no doubt have her feel a bit more powerful in the world when she really has no power at all . So I keep throwing scratch on the lawn , always spread a lilliputian bit more every solar day than I know thechickenswill eat .
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