[Jacob-list] Night Lights for Sheep

[Susan L. Nielsen]

>...coyote deterent along with a BLASTING radio.  

Really, the radio does not need to blasting, I think. This is
a blessing, because part of the pleasure of farm life is the
absence of blasting radios! ;-)

Anyway, we run a radio at a normal listening level in the barn
behind our goose and duck runs. The birds are free-range during
the day and come in at night. We had had a hard time with coyotes
during the first year. Then we got to thinking that the chickens
were not bothered at all, and they were near the radio my fella
tends to leave running in his woodshop. The only reason we were
able to observe this is that he sets it on a high shelf and I'm
unable to reach it to turn it off without setting up a ladder, and
after the first 2 dozen times, I gave up. ;-)

I am thinking, after other observations, that the most effective
kind of radio to play is not All Music All The Time, but a program
with some talking. My mule is very uneasy around the sound of a
disembodied, unidentified voice coming out of the barn. Music does
not seem to concern him at all. Following this information, my
flocks of birds now tune in to NPR every evening. By now they are 
probably well-informed about the coming election, and are surely
the most up-to-date poultry on matters of peace in the Middle East,
as well as having a passing familiarity with American culture in
general. The geese all cheer when the Morning Edition fanfare comes
on, which roused me right out of bed the first few times!

Susan
--
Susan Nielsen, Shambles Workshops      |"...Gently down the  
Beavercreek, OR, USA                   |stream..."
snielsen at orednet.org                   |           -- Anon.