HaHa - chickens running in reverse? All depends -- I've had dumb ones and I've had smart ones that know how to turn around. I think they go into "freeze" mode -- maybe a predator reaction? -- and then they are easy to pick up and hold. It takes a while of interaction with some breeds before totally trusting we are not monsters to attack them! We've spent weeks training our hens with hand signals or the word "shoo shoo" softly while guiding them back to their coop. Sometimes just hearing "shoo" from me when they are interfering with my gardening they start heading towards the coop's direction. Also, the younger ones learn from what the older ones do.
