Cute Chicken Behavior!

[Livia Ammon]

Today, when I was outside with my pullets, sitting in a camp chair, enjoying the flowers and sunshine, I saw my girls do the cutest thing. My black barn cat, Ella, walked over to me for some pets, and my pullets, who were out at the time, took a decided interest in her. Ella is a deadly mouser, and I’ve watched her catch large songbirds, so when I saw the pullets all follow her around, I was a bit concerned. Ella was too. She kept walking away, but the pullets continued their inquisition and followed her wherever she went. Poor Ella was scared of them! She finally had enough after one of them interrupted her nap in the sun, and she speeded out of there at top speed.

What silly stories do you have of your chickens?

 

[Shadrach]

I knew a hen called Cheepy. She was an incubator orphan on a smallholding I worked on. The main house had a dog, a Husky, who liked to doze in the sun on a terrace. Cheepy for some reason took exception to this dog (Hazel) and I cuaght cheepy walking around Hazel as she lay semi conscious in the sun. After Cheepy had walked around Hazel a few times she stopped at Hazel's rear end, backed up a couple of feet and ran at Hazel's arse and landed a flying peck on it. Hazel came awake and like she'd just been given an electric shock, turned round and no more than two feet from her nose stood Cheepy. Fair play to Hazel, she just walked away.
I told Cheepy she was a horrid hen and not likely to live long unless she adjusted her attitude; of course she ignored me...

 

[WingItRanch]

Not dog or cat... but a funny story.

I normally am the main chicken caretaker but one day I was stuck late at work and I asked my partner to let the chickens out for their free ranging time and collect eggs. He doesn't really spend much time with the chickens at all so this was very new. When I came home, I asked how it went.

He said..."when I went to put them back in the coop, the white one ran up to me and blocked my path. She stomped and spread her wings out. And just froze there in a weird stance."

Me: "hmmm. And what did you do?

Him: "Well I gave her a little pat on the back. She jumped up and shook herself and was fine after that."

Me: "Congratulations. You're a Rooster now."

Explaining the squat to him and the horrified look on his face was the highlight of my long day.

 

[ChaosMom]

My three pullets are 16 weeks old, as of yesterday.

From day 1, when we picked them up as 7 1/2 week olds, Diamond Lil (Easter Egger), has been the flock guardian against aerial predators. I’ve heard her specific and very quiet purr-growl warning and watched all three freeze, utterly motionless. She is FABULOUS.

She alerts at hawks, crows, and the occasional cardinal, but also at American Airlines Bombadier CRJ regional commuter jets about 2000’ above our house, arriving and departing from our smallish local airport. All other aircraft, including medevac helicopters, are fine.