I've got the Stupidest Chickens

[swampducks]

Two nights ago, instead of going into the coop with everyone else, 6 buckeyes decided to hunker down at the back side of the coop because they couldn't figure out to go around the corner to find the coop door.

Tonight I had to find 10 chickens, some of them GLWs hunkered down against the garage wall under the electric meter. That's down the hill, through the fence and more than 80 feet away from the coop.

The guineas never have any trouble find their way back home.

I now know for sure the origins of "bird brain".

 

[shelleyb1969]

Please excuse me for saying this, but I can't resist. It sounds like they all have brain flatulence!

 

[gritsar]

Stupid chickens? I'm still waiting for someone to show me a smart one!
Our latest stupid pet trick is the garden gate. I hold it open for them they look at me, look at the gate and decide to go thru the metal openings in the gate instead. Funny thing is, they're all getting a wee bit too fat and have to struggle to make it thru the squares. It's become a battle of wills for me. I will teach them it's perfectly acceptable to walk around not thru the gate. So who's the stupid one?

 

[RickiHupp]

HUH? Tonight I go in the coop to shut the lights off and I had ONE hen in there!! The other 20 or so were on the side of the goat fence...grrrr. Goofy birds.

 

[LilBizzy]

I have 1 who I think had a little chicken brain damage when she was "retrieved" by neighbors dog.
They go into their run at night in a nice single file, one hen directly behind the other. They walk around the run, thru the gate into the run. Chicken 1, chicken 2, chicken 3, chicken..

uh, wait, chicken 4 went AROUND the gate..between the gate and the coop. And stares in at the others wondering how they got in there.

But they are pretty smart too.I can think of for example, once.... ummm

Uh, I have to get back to you on that.

 

[Shared Acres]

lol

 

[Alpha Roo]

Get a roo. They do a great job making sure everyone is where they are suppossed to be. At least mine does, he won't settle down until even we go inside.

 

[Wynette]

I've got a pullet that walks in circles. No, she's not ill. I have a hanging feeder, and she's the bottom of the pecking order. So, when I fill it, they crowd around and there's no room for her. So, she began walking around in circles, trying to find a place to squeeze in.

This went on for months. about a week ago, I let them in their pen for the night. She came in, and promptly started to walk in circles. Of course, I thought she was hurt or something - checked her out, saw narry a feather otu of place, so put her back down; she walked in a few more circles, then flew up to the roost & settled in for the night. She does this every night now. She's touched in the head, I think.

 

[miss_jayne]

we have one gorgeous, but STUPID Silver Spangled Hamburg. Monday, while beautiful, is not gifted in the brain department....her routine is as follows:

1. fly around run and miss the landing zone.

2. land outside the run.

3. sit next to run.

4. wait for miss_jayne to come outside and say, "MONDAY!!! not again!"

5. watch miss_jayne walk to coop door and open it while calling, "You want in, baby?"

6. walk into coop.

7. rinse and repeat about 10-12 times a day.


oh, gifted she is not. never leaves the run area. just waits for me to let her back in to do it again in an hour or so. what a nut bar!

 

[ParkerVA]

Oh gosh, do I understand your frustration. I have some almost grown teenage silkies and they drive me bonkers.

They all start screaming at dusk wondering what to do and will pile up in a corner of their run.

I'll put them in their coop and they then act starved and run to the food.....

This has been going on for weeks. They get scratch in their run, but the main food container is in their coop... I am starting to get nervous about them not eating, simply because they don't go in the coop.

There is an older trio in the pen and they go up at night and know where to eat.... but the youngsters do not follow them and last night... GRRR my older ones were sleeping on the ground too.

The coop door is about 8 inches off of the ground, so I thought it was that. But there are 3 levels of stepping stones to get in there and they play on them all the time....

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I try herding them... but its like herding cats.