Okay, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve always considered chickens rather dumb.
But my Buckeyes have impressed me with their “street smarts.” When feeding yesterday, bird flew over the yard toward whatever it was going toward. I noticed two of my juvvies cock their heads up and track it. But that’s just a fluke, right? Because I was standing there, talking to them, and the bird flew directly over me. So sighting it was probably incidental. Right?
This morning, I carried out an extra bucket of water to put in the shade of the coop so they have water inside and out. That done, I crouched (while my knees still let me!) to talk to them, because they all came running to flock around me - no clue why ‘cause only one tolerates minor touching.
Suddenly, everybody stands stock-still except three or four who run to the coop. “What the heck is that all about, ya’ big dopes?” So, I scan the sky around us. About 50’ away and maybe 25-30’ high, there’s a magpie zooming across the pasture, minding its own business.
But the awareness of overhead stuff with these guys, at only 7-8 weeks, is pretty impressive (to me, at least).
But my Buckeyes have impressed me with their “street smarts.” When feeding yesterday, bird flew over the yard toward whatever it was going toward. I noticed two of my juvvies cock their heads up and track it. But that’s just a fluke, right? Because I was standing there, talking to them, and the bird flew directly over me. So sighting it was probably incidental. Right?
This morning, I carried out an extra bucket of water to put in the shade of the coop so they have water inside and out. That done, I crouched (while my knees still let me!) to talk to them, because they all came running to flock around me - no clue why ‘cause only one tolerates minor touching.
Suddenly, everybody stands stock-still except three or four who run to the coop. “What the heck is that all about, ya’ big dopes?” So, I scan the sky around us. About 50’ away and maybe 25-30’ high, there’s a magpie zooming across the pasture, minding its own business.
But the awareness of overhead stuff with these guys, at only 7-8 weeks, is pretty impressive (to me, at least).
