Animal Farm

Dad had the answer that I was thinking of. Chicken feces are known for their high nitrogen content. That being said, I was impressed by all of the different interpretations of “best.” I especially enjoyed Uncle David’s answer. Animals defecate a lot, making tidy feces desirable.

Antigone Wanders’s Third Trivia Tidbit

Enough about poop. Today I am going to shift gears. Which single demographic accounts for up to 70% of the world’s impoverished?

And now, the news from the farm:

Animals keep rural life exciting. They often do not do what you want them to do. Case and point: On Tuesday, the cows broke their fence and charged into the garden right before the farm staff was supposed to hold a moment of silence for the victims of September 11. Chaos ensued as humans chased cattle, cattle walked into fences, and walkie-talkie voices argued about whether or not it was possible to pause the commotion to memorialize 9/11.

Unfortunately, not all animal surprises are that comical. Livestock unexpectedly become sick or injured. Sometimes you are able to nurse the creatures back to health (e.g. the guinea pig and motherless ducklings in my living room). Other times, you need to put them out of their misery. This week, a flock of fowl (the kosher king broilers) became cannibalistic. Whoever gave them fresh water and food inevitably returned with birds who had flesh and feathers gouged out of their backs and wings. We killed two birds on Sunday and processed three on Monday. Tomorrow, we are going to process the rest.