Large shiny pie pans scare some crows from corn patch I an sure the chchickens might be afraid try mounting your mirror to the side of coop and see what they think. this is one of hen cams chickens
oh yes lard will go rancid my relitives used to give me rancid fat all the time ..I boiled it with pine needles to get rid of the smell and used it for school kids to make to ake soap ..old timer told me his mama saved fireplace ashes and boiled them in water to make lye..she floated a turkey...
I read where some one said thier rooless hen's , 3 of them mind you all went broody same time so they ordered chicks and snuck 2 under each chick in the middle of night , so when they woke up they had babies and it worked roflol