we have fat chickens who live in a hardwood forest, which means by definition that we also have fat squirrels. it is just as difficult to keep squirrels out of the chicken feed as it is to keep them out of the birdfeeder. so we inadvertently do our part every day to give the local squirrels a healthy layer of fat to survive the winter, which i’m sure the foxes and hawks appreciate. someday it seems inevitable that we will inadvertently feed those foxes and hawks some plump chicken as well. as i mentioned at the start: we have fat chickens who live in a hardwood forest.

eastern gray squirrel caught snacking outside our chicken coop

saint paul, minnesota