Chickens afraid of leaves!

[idiganthro]

So, I was wondering why our little flock was mostly staying around or in the coop. I blamed it on losing hen to a raccon about a month ago. Then, we decided to finish picking up the remaining fall leaves and voila- they are back out and all over the place! I'd never thought the layer of leaves was freaking them out somehow. Perhaps the sounds?

 

[LeezyBeezy]

silly hens. Mine like to scratch in the leaves.

 

[dsqard]

It could be the sounds. They may think that the rustling leaves are a predator creeping up on them or they may just have been scared of how they looked. Just never know what is going to upset a prey animal. I have had one of my horses spook at a rock before. Not sure if she thought the rock was going to eat her or if she thought there was something behind the rock.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Quote:

It's so funny what freaks them out and what they think is just the greatest thing.

 

[gordonburrito]

My chickens are afraid of anything new. They also especially hate when I have a rake or scoop and sweep things up around them or in their coop. Once I'm done of course they're right in their tearing things apart.

 

[Pinky]

ever tried flying a kite near your chickens? I did and all of my chickens, my turkey, and 7 guineas thought a triangle hawk was about to attack them! And to make it worst the wind blew my kite into the tree above the chicken coops. They yelled and screamed for 30 minutes as I had to get the kite untangled from the tree limbs

 

[PhilErvin]

I had my son rake all the leaves and put them in the run. The girls scratched around in them and now the ground has a nice clean layer of leaves for the girls to walk in. Of course they free range during the day but when they go back into the run they all seem happy to continue scratching in the leaves.

 

[easttxchick]

Mine love scratching around in pine needles(our version of leaves) but are PETRIFIED of empty feed bags. Now the full ones are a different story-they come running at the sight of a full feed bag.

 

[Ruth Ann]

Oh ours loved the leavs in the fall.
We would make big piles of them to play in

But I think chickens are silly critters...most everything new scares them.

 

[idiganthro]

Very funny stories. Every flock really has it's own dynamic, huh? I'm just glad to have them back... for awhile it was like not having chickens at all! Can't wait until spring so I can be outside more. Last year they learned to love the riding lawn mower. When my husband was out he'd have to be extra careful not to run over a chicken. They have learned that the lawn mower stirs up insects, so mowing day is great fun for them. Who knew they'd freak out over leaves??