The strangest thing

[cravenchx]

My husband and I were watching chicken TV
last night, they were all scratching, sitting on their
outside perches, dirt bathing, when all of a sudden,
they all stood completely still, a few of them high tailed
it under the coop, one squatted in the corner of the run.
Put the ones standing stood there for about 1 minute, then
they too ran under the coop. Finally the one that had squatted
ran under the coop. The were all squatting under the coop,
VERY quiet. My husband and I did not see anything, or hear
anything. They stayed there for a good 15-20 minutes. We could
not coax them out with treats, sweet talk or anything. When they
finally came back out, one at a time, they stayed close to the coop,
and not long afterwards, went inside.
What in the world? We were wondering if we should take cover.

 

[Nonny]

Hawk?

I've heard of that sort of behaviour when there's an aerial predator (or even a hot air balloon or aeroplane)

 

[Lollipop]

Yup, Most likely a hawk. Sometimes they will come in quietly and just sit in a tree, almost undetectable for us, but the fowl know where they are.........Pop

 

[secuono]

Mine always make noise for all predators. They can make soft 'I'm wary' noise that you don't always hear but others will pick up. Not always will the roo make a huge racket, depends on who spots what and where and what time of day.

 

[cravenchx]

We live under a flight route with airplanes,
so I know it wasn't that, they've got used to it.
Hawk may have been it. But we walked the run,
looking up and down, I know I don't have the eyesight
they do. But it was strange. We have a covered run
that I don't think anything can get thru. I don't want
my girls and roo to be horrified!

 

[annep]

They heard something for sure..Probably a hawk..When they high tail it like that, I know something's out there..

 

[stargazingmommy]

Mine hear a sprinkler and take off like theres no tomorrow. The duck house and yard is about 15 ft from the chickens, they still freak out when I fill the duck pool andturn the sprinkler on for them.

 

[ceeceeholt]

Our run is covered as well, but boy do we have hawks and owls! Even though we know they can't get in the run, they don't. My will do the freeze frame too and then high tail it into the coop until someone sends out the all clear. Someone said there may be one in a tree and that's true, I think they just sit there to scare my chickens!

 

[sulco]

When my ladies and gentlemen were younger, I bent over to fill a water container and the pressure on my stomach made me toot loudly... *freaked* them out. Really, it shouldn't have been as funny as it was, but it was.

 

[cravenchx]

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