Snails ARE Good Eats!

We had another milestone last night at Spice Girls headquarters.  They are FINALLY eating snails!

I'm not sure who's more excited about this fact.  Me, because I have a TON of snails and one of the main reasons I got chickens was to eat the snails.  Or the hens, because a big old snail is one big tasty treat for a hen.  Even if they have to share part of it with a sister.

I let them out of their run into the big garden last night.  Which I try to do every night to give them some diversity in their little world.  And just as I settled into my chair with a glass of vino, there was much squealing from the corner of the garden.  I looked up to see a chase ensue.

Ginger has something big in her beak, but I couldn't make out what it was because she was moving so fast.  Coco was ON her trying to get it out of her beak.  Pumpkin was putting up a good chase but never really had a chance.  None of the girls do with Coco out there.  She's bigger, taller, faster, bossier and more food obsessed than any other hen I've ever met.

Anyway, they finally came ripping across the patio and then I could make out that it was indeed a snail.  This was just before Coco snatched it from Ginger and chocked it down.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  So I went over to one of the known snail hot spots and pulled out a snail and handed it to Coco.  Whack, whack, whack on the ground to break up the shell and then gulp, and down it went like an oyster on the half shell.  I was so excited that I pulled out another snail, and watched that one disappear too.

I tried a fourth but obviously she's got a three snail limit at this point cuz she looked up at me with those big black eyes that say, "Oh, I just couldn't!"