Goodness, the toads are big and friendly this year. Thanks to the nice contributors on the iNaturalist app, I believe these guys and those I’ve found in the chicken coop are Gulf Coast Toads. We have many, many, many tiny variants of toads and frogs around the yard, but these big guys like to hang out by our doors.
I’m half waiting for one to come in the house and ask for tea.
We had 13 coop residents in the morning. A rather large toad was sitting in the chicken foot bath. The chickens were all leaving it alone, which I thought was interesting, since chickens eat some reptiles and amphibians. Now I have found maybe this same toad in the coop before (or maybe a similar one, there are lots), and have relocated it (them?) out of the coop several times. I thought I had a fairly tight run with all the hardware cloth we put up, but there is a spot somewhere we he gets in. Hmm. The concerning thing is that if he can get in, so can snakes. Hmm.
I know, it doesn’t look that big in the picture, but my dog weighs about 50 pounds, and that turtle was about 20 feet away from him. Trust me, it was a big turtle. The thought did cross my mind to get in for a closer picture, but I like my dog’s nose whole, and myself whole for that matter. (We are in Texas, we are nearly country, and walking into someone else’s yard is grounds for getting shot. I respect that. Turtle pictures can wait.)
I trimmed most of the property (OK, the front of the property, the back is still wild). I cut down the spent wild flowers and trimmed around the yard and coop, went through a tank of fuel, and spent about 2 hours outside. I didn’t get pictures of all the critters (I’d still be out there), but did get some!
Well, at least a completely different reaction. To cockroaches. I opened the cupboard in the coop and a cockroach was clinging to the door, so I flicked it off toward the chickens (who are now always at my feet awaiting tid bits). No screaming, no shivers of revulsion, just expedient extermination. I didn’t get the greatest picture, but you can tell the chicken has something in her beak!
Critters and Craft 