Last night we got our first real snow--about 5 inches. All my chickens are pullets so I couldn't wait to see how they'd react! As expected they rewarded me with quite a funny start to the day.
I opened the door this morning and the black bantam who is usually first out of the coop swooped right down off her perch to head outside. She hit the snow, did this crazy, skidding, double-take and tried to get back inside. However, the other two bantams who always follow her had already made their swoop down to the door entrance and so they blocked the first one from getting back in. What ensued next was this general flurry of black wings on white snow as all three found themselves more than chest deep in cold, wet stuff!
Seeing each one panic only lead to more panic and finally they couldn't take it any more and took to flight. These bantams (perhaps Sumatrans?) fly pretty far and high but only when completely freaked out. So, I hear this flurry of wings and realize three of my chickens have just flown the coop! I go outside and look all around--it should be easy to spot three black chickens in a totally transformed winter wonderland, right?
I cannot see them. I'm pacing around getting snow in my shoes when suddenly I spot a single black tail, about 8 feet off the ground, emerging from the branches of the lone pine tree in my yard situated nearly 30 feet from the door of the coop. Upon looking closer I spot all three of them huddled onto different branches.
So, instead of a partridge in a pear tree I have three chickens in a pine tree!
Update: about 15 minutes later they flew back into the run. All is well.
I opened the door this morning and the black bantam who is usually first out of the coop swooped right down off her perch to head outside. She hit the snow, did this crazy, skidding, double-take and tried to get back inside. However, the other two bantams who always follow her had already made their swoop down to the door entrance and so they blocked the first one from getting back in. What ensued next was this general flurry of black wings on white snow as all three found themselves more than chest deep in cold, wet stuff!
Seeing each one panic only lead to more panic and finally they couldn't take it any more and took to flight. These bantams (perhaps Sumatrans?) fly pretty far and high but only when completely freaked out. So, I hear this flurry of wings and realize three of my chickens have just flown the coop! I go outside and look all around--it should be easy to spot three black chickens in a totally transformed winter wonderland, right?
I cannot see them. I'm pacing around getting snow in my shoes when suddenly I spot a single black tail, about 8 feet off the ground, emerging from the branches of the lone pine tree in my yard situated nearly 30 feet from the door of the coop. Upon looking closer I spot all three of them huddled onto different branches.
So, instead of a partridge in a pear tree I have three chickens in a pine tree!
Update: about 15 minutes later they flew back into the run. All is well.
