My chickens are used to landscaping equipment, chainsaws, logging trucks, school buses (they even walk to the end of the drive with me while I meet my babes after school), lobster boats starting up at 4 am, etc... I'm the youngest adult in my neighborhood by...oh....a couple of decades or more (I'm 32 with two young children) and most of my neighbors are either summer people and/or retirees. I felt bad for my neighbors when we first moved in as I thought for sure my little family would be the loudest in the neighborhood. NOPE. What gets the flock going is my neighbor across the road and his sister who lives just around the corner. They are in their 70s, sweet as can be but neither one can hear very well so every time she drives by, she stops in front of his house, lays on her car horn until he comes to the door and they shout to each other. I don't mean just a quick "hello" either. They have entire conversations with her in her car and him in his doorway and a whole lot of "HUH?"s and "WHAT?"s, repeated sentences thrown in and don't forget the deep Mainer accent. Every word carries over the water which makes them sound like they're in stereo. It sends my flock into a tizzy. They race around in utter chaos, bumping into each other, accidental challenges, etc. It's an amusing event to say the least.
My youngest pullet, however, bless her. She's not so used to the usual noises around here even though she's been here since she was a few days old, every time large equipment drives by, she races around as if she's lost her head and then runs in the direction of said truck/excavator/tractor. One of these days she may run a little too far.
Is your youngest pullet an Ameraucana or an EE? Those breeds are kooky, spooky, jittery, skittish birds that squawk at the littlest breeze or flapping tarp. They are sweet non-combative breeds but are very alert, hyper, wary, predator-savvy birds. People think they are stupid for running into things but that's the nature of the breed to be on hyper-alert even when napping. You don't usually catch these birds as predator bait - they're too alert and fast. My Ameraucana skids and slides around corners even as an adult now. If we sneeze or cough she squawks loudly and runs for cover! She's an excellent flock guardian even though she's our youngest bird - she snoozes with one eye open until we lock up the coop for the night.
