So, I've recently discovered that my purpose in life, according to my chicks anyway, is to serve as their jungle gym.
If I go out to the new coop to sit and visit, they immediately mob me and start fighting for the best perching spots. I inevitably end up with chickens on every available surface including the top of my head, both arms, my legs, and my lap. They are still kind of small (ages range from 2 weeks to 13 wks) so about 6 - 8 at a time can find a comfy spot. This means that there are a couple dozen more who WANT to perch but there is no room. Solution? Land on one of the other chicks, knock them off, and claim their prized perch.
It turns into a crazy free-for-all with birds flying all around squawking and fussing with me in the middle getting scratched and hit in the face with feathers. So I guess this means that all of my efforts to tame them down and make them less afraid of me worked, huh?
Also, I am pleasantly surprised that my two blue andalusian pullets are almost always the first to climb up and the last to get bored of the game. In fact, they usually stick around and fall asleep perched on my arms after everyone else wanders away to eat. And if they do leave for a bit and I try to pick up another chick to give it some attention, they coming rushing back and repeatedly try to scare the interloper away by landing right on top of it! This from the birds which my research told me tended to "avoid human contact!"
The only bad part about becoming a human jungle gym? Chickens have to poop sometime...
*sigh* I guess nothing keeps you humble like sitting on the floor of a chicken coop and getting pooped on first thing in the morning.
If I go out to the new coop to sit and visit, they immediately mob me and start fighting for the best perching spots. I inevitably end up with chickens on every available surface including the top of my head, both arms, my legs, and my lap. They are still kind of small (ages range from 2 weeks to 13 wks) so about 6 - 8 at a time can find a comfy spot. This means that there are a couple dozen more who WANT to perch but there is no room. Solution? Land on one of the other chicks, knock them off, and claim their prized perch.
It turns into a crazy free-for-all with birds flying all around squawking and fussing with me in the middle getting scratched and hit in the face with feathers. So I guess this means that all of my efforts to tame them down and make them less afraid of me worked, huh?
Also, I am pleasantly surprised that my two blue andalusian pullets are almost always the first to climb up and the last to get bored of the game. In fact, they usually stick around and fall asleep perched on my arms after everyone else wanders away to eat. And if they do leave for a bit and I try to pick up another chick to give it some attention, they coming rushing back and repeatedly try to scare the interloper away by landing right on top of it! This from the birds which my research told me tended to "avoid human contact!"
The only bad part about becoming a human jungle gym? Chickens have to poop sometime...
*sigh* I guess nothing keeps you humble like sitting on the floor of a chicken coop and getting pooped on first thing in the morning.
