Scared of random noises

[SemperChicken]

Just wondering if anyone has any similar behaviors with their chickies. My EE freaks the HECK out whenever she hears a car horn... Like if someone is trying to get someone else's attention or something. Harriet will perk up and if it keeps going she will run away scared.

Just wondering if anyone has anything similar to that.

 

[azygous]

It's been my experience chickens are far more startled by someone or something unfamiliar than they are by sounds. Initially a loud noise will startle, but chickens get used to it very quickly.

Just this morning I fired up my gas chain saw and cut down a tree by the run, and the chickens put up a big fuss, screeching the danger warning, but they quickly decided to ignore it and they settled back down.

I can plug my shop vac in the run to do cleanup, and the chickens, after the first minute, just go about their business.

When I drag the vacuum into the run and before I start it is a different story. Everyone sees the big, bad, ugly, dangerous THING and they all run and hide under the coop. But they adjust to it very fast.

That isn't to say your little EE isn't a tad high strung and just can't handle loud noises. My EE Flo is high strung and gets startled by just about everything. But chickens in general are pretty accepting of noise, including violent thunder storms.

 

[SemperChicken]

That's exactly what I was thinking would happen, but she's done this since I can first remember during the summer. Cars will drive through the neighborhood and sometimes let out a honk or two, and she'll perk up and freak-out. I feel bad, but it's just very interesting.