Staying in the coop a lot?

Justanother Brooke

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We let our chickens free range, but I have noticed they stay in the coop an awful lot, even though it's not rainy or snowy. If we go outside, they will all come out, and then start pecking and scratching and exploring, but once we go back in the house, within a few minutes they single file back up into the coop. It has been kind of windy, maybe they don't like that?
 
Mine have been doing the same thing lately. They have a covered run and they have barely going out there. I know that mine do get spooked when it's windy b/c of all the noises, but that's not the case with mine right now.
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And so maybe they feel it's safe to come out if one of the humans are out there? I did notice that when the crows get loud they all run for the coop. We've never seen any signs of raccoons or skunks out here in the 2 years we been here, and there's always bird seed and dog food out. . Lots of stupid greydiggers though, and we had a herd of elk walk about 200 feet from the house this morning, which was pretty awesome!
 
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I'm letting mine have the run of the garden area right now, and there are lots of leaves flying around in the wind. When a big gust comes up and makes leaf tornadoes, the chickens all freak and run.
 
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And so maybe they feel it's safe to come out if one of the humans are out there? I did notice that when the crows get loud they all run for the coop. We've never seen any signs of raccoons or skunks out here in the 2 years we been here, and there's always bird seed and dog food out. . Lots of stupid greydiggers though, and we had a herd of elk walk about 200 feet from the house this morning, which was pretty awesome!

I recall once I was sitting with my silkies outside. My back was to the forest. The alpha silkie roo (I have since sold these silkies) looked over my shoulder in a panic. He truly looked terrified- it scared me to death as his expression conveyed that there was someONE behind me, coming to kill me.

I turned around, and didn't see anything. So I turned back around to look at him again, and he was GONE! He and the other silkies had run back into the covered pen. Then I looked back at the forest, and saw a hawk flying away.

Now another time, these same silkies had a hawk dive to kill them and he BOUNCED off the overhead netting. And they weren't even going for cover- it caught them by surprise. But the chickens will sometimes notice a predator that you don't.
 

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