I am starting this thread to share stories about how smart chickens are. I will begin:
I have 9-hen and 2-roosters. The roosters are in their own bachelor pad. Because I work at home, I have some flexibility regarding when to go clean the coop, clean feeders and waterers, and refill everything. I go open the coops at sunrise, and because it is winter, I take my hens and roosters something warm to eat like oatmeal or scrambled eggs. When it is not raining, I grab my laptop, let the hens into their 65-foot chunnel and the roosters to roam the backyard. In the hen run there are two dust baths, and one in the bachelor pad. One day about a week ago, I was filling in some holes in the hen run and inadvertently noticed the dust bath schedule in two dust baths for 5-hens. The next day, I went out about 1/2 hour later than the day before and saw the other 4-hens dust bathing. The next day, out of curiosity, I backed my time up an hour - grabbed my laptop, and sat quietly in the hen run. I recorded, Abby and Molly dust bathed at 10:12am, Snowtop and Henrietta at 10:31am, Lucy and Stella at 10:50, Nugget and Beyonce at 11:06, and Chicken Little by herself at 11:19. So, the next day, I actually changed a meeting so that I could go sit in the hen run again (can't have a meeting with Roosters crowing at loud decibels), at the same time. Abby and Molly at 10:15am, Snowtop and Henrietta waiting in line at 10:30 ready to kick them out, but did get their dust baths at 10:33am, Lucy and Stella at 10:50, Nugget and Beyonce at 11:05, and Chicken Little at 11:18. My hens do not have alarms or clocks but dust bathed the next day in the same order within 5-minutes from the day before. And, by the way, the order for dust bathing is not the pecking order - go figure. Chickens are so smart and organized. For today, I will just think I have the smartest chickens in the world.
I have 9-hen and 2-roosters. The roosters are in their own bachelor pad. Because I work at home, I have some flexibility regarding when to go clean the coop, clean feeders and waterers, and refill everything. I go open the coops at sunrise, and because it is winter, I take my hens and roosters something warm to eat like oatmeal or scrambled eggs. When it is not raining, I grab my laptop, let the hens into their 65-foot chunnel and the roosters to roam the backyard. In the hen run there are two dust baths, and one in the bachelor pad. One day about a week ago, I was filling in some holes in the hen run and inadvertently noticed the dust bath schedule in two dust baths for 5-hens. The next day, I went out about 1/2 hour later than the day before and saw the other 4-hens dust bathing. The next day, out of curiosity, I backed my time up an hour - grabbed my laptop, and sat quietly in the hen run. I recorded, Abby and Molly dust bathed at 10:12am, Snowtop and Henrietta at 10:31am, Lucy and Stella at 10:50, Nugget and Beyonce at 11:06, and Chicken Little by herself at 11:19. So, the next day, I actually changed a meeting so that I could go sit in the hen run again (can't have a meeting with Roosters crowing at loud decibels), at the same time. Abby and Molly at 10:15am, Snowtop and Henrietta waiting in line at 10:30 ready to kick them out, but did get their dust baths at 10:33am, Lucy and Stella at 10:50, Nugget and Beyonce at 11:05, and Chicken Little at 11:18. My hens do not have alarms or clocks but dust bathed the next day in the same order within 5-minutes from the day before. And, by the way, the order for dust bathing is not the pecking order - go figure. Chickens are so smart and organized. For today, I will just think I have the smartest chickens in the world.
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