Critter concerns

- How YOU doin'? -

Sometimes I hear a trill and I wonder what kind of bird makes that sound, then I remember it's not a bird, but a ground squirrel. 

I have a field full of them this year. I don't have a horse or cow that might step into the squirrel burrows, but I do worry about cutting off the little creatures' heads when I'm mowing. You'd think the big hawk that's hanging around would help me out, but it's much more interested in baby chicks than ground squirrels.

The chickens are so traumatized by the hawk that they try to attack dove that come to eat scratch feed I throw in the yard. Dove are bigger than the rest of the birds, the sparrows and such, so it's no wonder the hens go after them. At least they get the satisfaction of feeling like they're one up on the food chain.

I guess I'm too good at raising chickens. They must only need minimal care, since that's all I provide. I have gone from a satisfactory number of five fowl to twenty-five, since two hens now have ten chicks each. I guess I need the hawk's assistance in more than one way.