The chicken football did not set the camp on fire. The game was very short and full of intervals for feeding on mealworms. Of course chickens don’t kick the ball, as we kind of expected, but move it ever so slightly shaking off it’s content with the minimum of effort. For sure it’s the most boring football match you’ve ever seen.
So we invested 4 pounds into an ordinary bird feeder. Filled with small cox apples it hung untouched on a rope for a whole day. The girls were not interested at all until Sylvester (our resident cockerel) decided to investigate. And then the fun began.
The rules of the game are simple. All chickens stand in a circle and swing the feeder from one to another. No wings are allowed, beaks only… unless a big, juicy bit of an apple falls on the floor in which case elbowing team mates proves extremely effective!
For the last of our hat tricks we hung the entire head of white Lincolnshire cabbage upside down on a bungee cord. Swinging is not an option since the cabbage is rather heavy. But as it’s getting smaller and lighter the bungee pulls it up and the birds have to jump to get a beak-full of brassica. What a joy to watch!
