Box Turtles and "Underground Chickens"

Antoinette learns that turtles lay eggs too!As a gardener, I've had the privilege of watching a box turtle lay eggs in my flower bed twice. The most recent time was this summer. Even though I mark my calendar, I have yet to see the eggs hatch. While reading up on our local turtles, I learned that they want to stay within the same area where they were born. If one is moved more than a half-mile from its territory, it may never find its way back; but may spend years unsystematically searching. I feel TERRIBLE! When I used to see one on the side of the road, I would bring it home to show my children and then let it go in the yard. Now I understand why I don't have a yard full of turtles - they all set out trying to find their way back to the Jump Off Road! Over the span of their lifetime, female turtles will lay hundreds of eggs, but only 2-3 of these offspring will survive to adulthood. Wow. Who knew.

Today a recent graduate of the university came to visit me. He'd just returned from his 3rd summer helping people in a developing country and will go on to graduate school in Europe soon. He was a merit scholar, athlete, volunteer and all around great guy. Unfortunately he never expressed interest in marrying one of my daughters. He's been following the Sewanee chicken story and came to tell me about his mother's "underground chickens".

Apparently it's not exactly legal to keep them where he grew up. Nevertheless, his mother got four and her neighbor got two. The chickens wandered happily between the yards visiting - as chickens will do. I guess they wandered too far one day and someone complained. An official from the city was sent to deal with the problem. The chicken mothers said they would fence the birds in, but the official said he could not leave unless they promised to get rid of the hens. He didn't seem concerned with whether they actually removed them - just that they said they would. So, (these were very smart women) they said they would, fenced in the chickens and lived happily ever after.

Who DOESN'T have chickens???

Here's a link to a "stealth chicken coop" designed to look like a trash can. http://henspa.com/hencondo.htm