In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> i used to know a gal who grew up on a turkey farm. are ducks any
> smarter (or less vile) than turkeys?

I've never had any long-term experience with turkeys or ducks. Ducks
seem to be cuter and more endearing.

When in grad school, I lived with friends on a farm for a few years, and
we kept chickens. They were fun to watch, especially at feeding time.
The social hierarchy (pecking order) was easy to spot. The top bird was
Margaret, a scrawny but feisty old hen who had survived many battles.
Half of her upper beak was gone, but that did not stop her from lording
over the other hens. Her throne was the seat on an old John Deere
tractor that we stored in the same shack as the chickens. One morning,
we came to the shack to get some eggs, and Margaret was motionless in
the straw. At dinner that night, we had the obligatory moment of
silence. And then we had Margaret noodle soup.

ObFood: Tonight Cindy made some tuna chunks, encrusted with sesame seeds
and white peppercorns, seared on the grill, and served with a Thai
dipping sauce. Damn fine.

--
Julian Vrieslander