Chickens and the GHO's toes

Marie,

About the picture you chose to illustrate my owl report: [1/4/06]

Great photo: I was talking about preening and that's what the picture shows.  But I'm wondering if you also chose it because of the feet.

It's a perfect display of the GHO foot trivia I mentioned in my report: The foot that's up has the traditional three toes front, one toe back arrangement, while the perching foot has two and two.  I would assume that the two and two arrangement  is sturdier for one-legged perching. It's also better for grabbing prey, according to the experts.  As for three and one,  that seems to be better for walking, which I understand is how GHO's get into your chicken coop: they walk.

I don't know why, but I find the thought of it absolutely hilarious.

Of course if that were my own chicken coop, eventually I'd have to  run the owl off to save the chickens .  But the idea of a big chunky owl  walking up the ramp to that little house, horns erect, bobbing back and forth...dum de dum de dum... something about it just slays me

Donna