Slept late today (no black Friday shopping for me). When I was walking out to the coop around 9 a.m. to check on them, I heard a very loud persistent "BOK BOK BOK BOK" coming from the coop, and saw everyone was inside, not out in the run. It was very windy and cold (well, just freezing, the real cold hasn't hit yet, but the wind was fierce and biting).
We keep a bag hanging on the fence inside the door, with masks (the soft cloth medical masks) to wear when cleaning the coop, along with some extra plastic bags for garbage. It had blown down, the bags were scattered around the run, and the ziplock baggie with masks was on the ground near the waterer. Since the BOK BOK yelling was continuing, I ignored it and went straight to the coop. Opened the door, the five of them were up on the perches, very agitated, lots of loose feathers, and on the floor in the middle was one mask.Someone, most likely the roo, had dragged it up the ramp, over to the pop door, and inside; and they were all staring at it and making noises. Once I took it out and gathered up the scattered bags from the run they calmed down and came out.
Must have been quite startling for them, that bag blowing down and bags and a mask flying around in the wind. We do have galvanized sheeting around the bottom two feet of the run, which blocks the low wind, but above that is just chain link covered with hardware cloth, and the wind was blowing through.
Still lots of little feathers all over the place today, and they are periodically going inside to warm up. I gave them some mealworms to distract them and ease their stress.
We keep a bag hanging on the fence inside the door, with masks (the soft cloth medical masks) to wear when cleaning the coop, along with some extra plastic bags for garbage. It had blown down, the bags were scattered around the run, and the ziplock baggie with masks was on the ground near the waterer. Since the BOK BOK yelling was continuing, I ignored it and went straight to the coop. Opened the door, the five of them were up on the perches, very agitated, lots of loose feathers, and on the floor in the middle was one mask.Someone, most likely the roo, had dragged it up the ramp, over to the pop door, and inside; and they were all staring at it and making noises. Once I took it out and gathered up the scattered bags from the run they calmed down and came out.
Must have been quite startling for them, that bag blowing down and bags and a mask flying around in the wind. We do have galvanized sheeting around the bottom two feet of the run, which blocks the low wind, but above that is just chain link covered with hardware cloth, and the wind was blowing through.
Still lots of little feathers all over the place today, and they are periodically going inside to warm up. I gave them some mealworms to distract them and ease their stress.
