I joke with anyone who eats a meal at our house that my kids have a warped perception about what to do with the remnants of their dinner. At our house they throw food scraps out the backdoor.

Chickens, like dogs, will eat anything and much to our occasional dinner guest's surprise (and mine initially), are happily cannibalistic. So when our backdoor opens, the chickens come running because more often than not, it means some kind of food is being tossed out for them.

I know it's weird -- particularly for my many city-born friends -- but my practical side appreciates the time I save on kitchen cleanup.

But last night I was reminded that there is a down-side to our table scrap practice.

Fino made chicken on the grill while I set the big table in the backyard with plates, silverware and a rice dish. When it came time for all of us to sit down to eat, a dozen chickens ran over to the table and surrounded us.

The chickens walked around - and under - the table while we ate. Within a few minutes I think our entire coop's population had surrounded us (25+). We attempted to shoo them away but that didn't work so the kids threw some rice into another part of the yard. That worked for about a minute before the chickens came back looking for more. Needless to say, it was a quickly eaten meal.

I guess the old adage applies here - you take the good with the bad.

And in case you were wondering, the chickens got the table scraps from this meal too.

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