Yes, that's a real "DUH!" subject line, but until this weekend, *I* never saw it! Stupid Standard time and my work hours means I always get home well after dark and just lift the coop lid, count chickens, apologize for disturbing them, and close the lid and the pop door. I see 'em in the mornings when I let them out around dawn, but I never saw them go inside all on their own, until this past weekend.
Personally, I found it adorable.
7 chickens; six pullets and one roo, all around 3 months old. The girls start meandering toward the coop in a generally bunched fashion, with an occasional one wandering sideways after a particularly tasty bit of grass or bug or something. The rooster dashes around, ahead of them, behind them, in between some of them, just checking things out, like he's counting them. Not herding them, just keeping track.
Then they move into the covered pen area (they spend daytimes in a covered RUN, but there's a covered pen inside the run, attached to the coop, too). They snack on some feed, drink some water, scratch at the low tub of sand, one or two go up the ramp into the coop. Maybe one comes back out. Two more go in. The rooster makes a dash for the furthest part of the run and comes back all flappy, having made sure they're all close to the coop. Then he marches around the coop/run until stragglers have moved into the covered pen.
Another chicken comes out of the coop, stands on the ramp, then goes back in. Some discussion occurs inside the coop. The rooster enters. More discussion. A loud BAWK! and more discussion.
The last chicken steps up the ramp and stands there, then moves inside. More discussion.
And then just soft chicken mumbling. I close the pop door, close the pen door, and exit the run, smiling.
Personally, I found it adorable.
7 chickens; six pullets and one roo, all around 3 months old. The girls start meandering toward the coop in a generally bunched fashion, with an occasional one wandering sideways after a particularly tasty bit of grass or bug or something. The rooster dashes around, ahead of them, behind them, in between some of them, just checking things out, like he's counting them. Not herding them, just keeping track.
Then they move into the covered pen area (they spend daytimes in a covered RUN, but there's a covered pen inside the run, attached to the coop, too). They snack on some feed, drink some water, scratch at the low tub of sand, one or two go up the ramp into the coop. Maybe one comes back out. Two more go in. The rooster makes a dash for the furthest part of the run and comes back all flappy, having made sure they're all close to the coop. Then he marches around the coop/run until stragglers have moved into the covered pen.
Another chicken comes out of the coop, stands on the ramp, then goes back in. Some discussion occurs inside the coop. The rooster enters. More discussion. A loud BAWK! and more discussion.
The last chicken steps up the ramp and stands there, then moves inside. More discussion.
And then just soft chicken mumbling. I close the pop door, close the pen door, and exit the run, smiling.
