Chick Sports! Playing Keep-Away

[Sparrow]

I've been noticing my chicks playing a specific game when I'm watching them in the brooder lately. It looks like a chaotic game of keep-away! One of my two Ameracaunas, Sparrow and Storm, will be pecking around in the pine shavings, looking totally normal. Then when they discover a dried poo-and-pine patty, they will snatch it up really quickly and run around with a really horizontal posture looking like a bullet. When the patty-holder is running(lol), she will make a very distinct peep sound that is very obviously saying, "LOOK at what I found!!" and immediately everyone else joins in the chase. All 9 chicks will be either chasing after her or pulling sly maneuvers to try and snatch the patty from her w hen she runs by. It is hysterical, and I see them do this several times a day!

It must just be a game, because no one gets aggressive. If one chick gets close enough, it will snatch it out of her beak, but it is all very gentle, albeit a bit manic looking. So far, it it always Storm or Sparrow who starts the game, but all the other chicks join in. Once the novelty of the patty wears off, or if someone drops it, they all just flap their wings and hop around for a while before settling down. It looks like they are having a lot of fun!

I'm just wondering if anyone else notices this behaviour, especially at only 4 weeks of age. It's too cute...and I, being the proud chick mother that I am, have begun to wonder if I just have really talented chicks.

 

[Cetawin]

Oh yes. Mine have been playing keep away/chase since they were about 2 weeks old. It can be a piece of rice, a piece of grass, a pine shaving, or anything.

They are fun to watch for sure.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I know exactly what you are talking about! My 4 week-old RIR's do it too!!! I especially noticed it when I took them all outside for a field trip the other day. They would find a long piece of grass or a weed and would chase each other around and around! It was so cute! They are so funny to watch!

Have you ever noticed yours flapping their wings, bumping chests, knocking each other's fluff off, and then chasing the fluff around? My roos do that all of the time and that's pretty funny to watch also!

 

[Gindee77]

All one of my chicks has to do is pick up a piece of pine shaving and the others want that piece too!! They spend lots of time chasing and playing "keep-away" from each other!! Isn't it just the cutest thing to watch!!!

 

[FLOWERPOT]

give them some thawed out frozen corn and watch the chaos. It is hysterical!!!! LOL

 

[Portia]

Isn't that the best!
My peeps are 7 weeks old and still love to play that game. At one point I put a floret from a purple hyacinth into the pen because I noticed they are attracted to bright colors. The winner was a speckled sussex that ran around for a good 5 minutes with others giving chase before they left her alone and let her actually inspect the prize. A minute later it was abandon and she was off to search for other prizes.

 

[Guitartists]

Isn't it a riot! Hubby likes to give them worms and watch them run around squaking because the other is trying to steal their worm instead of getting their own!!! Silly birds!

 

[WillsMama93]

I was commenting on this last night.. our mystery chick, Bambi, ONLY wants the pieces of melon that my "big-girl" Lola (cochin) is currently interested in. They ignore the entire plate of treats, except for the goodies one of the other babies is trying to gulp down! Last night I had them all on the coffee-table eating a melon and oatmeal snack, and they kept throwing the melon up in the air, off the table onto the floor, and hopping down after it so they could each eat in peace! Smart chickies!

 

[Sparrow]

They are way too cute when they are playing keep away! I haven't tried giving them treats yet, but I should probably start doing that soon. I want to see if they're as comical with their food!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Definitly. Ours started at a couple of days with a wood shaving.

They do it when they're grown-up, too (our big girls make funny skwaking sounds while running round).
It's really fun to watch. We don't have a TV so we watch "chickovision". Much better.