Watched chickens for an hour today - so funny

[Supernatural]

I just want to preface this with the confession that I got chickens for eggs, the end. We had a "house chicken" and enjoyed her, but I never considered them particularly affectionate. Mostly I just think of them as dumb birds that lay eggs that I eat.

Then today as I was bringing water to the chickens in the tractor, one of them caught a HUGE toad. The five of them proceeded to fight over the poor toad, snatching it away from each other, running around over top of the others trying to find a corner to eat in. I watched those girls fight over that thing for 20 minutes, laughing the whole time. When the Queen Hen finally claimed it for herself, she tried to swallow it whole, choked on it, coughed it up, tried to swallow it again. Walked around with a wiggling goiterous lump in her crop while she yawned and stretched her neck trying to get it down and keep it there.

Oh my goodness I've never laughed so hard in my life. I sat watching them for a long time after, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm starting to really enjoy having chickens. I still think they're pretty dumb, but they definitely have personality and are a lot of fun!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

How fun, thanks for sharing!

I often tell people that chickens are unique among pets because they are always active and doing something. Dogs and cats have wonderful attributes, but chickens can really be fun to watch as they interact with each other and every bit of their environment.

Even when they seem to be "resting" during the day they are fun to watch as they dust bathe and peck around.

 

[Mahonri]

I was too busy today/yesterday to take time for Chicken TV

Maybe tomorrow....

 

[Kansaseq]

Years ago I experienced something similar with my hens. I only had 3 back then, up in the suburbs. One day they were free ranging in our little back yard, when one of them found a baby snake. As soon as the first hen spotted it, they went into velociraptor mode. The first hen grabbed it up and proceeded to beat it over and over again, trying to kill it. When the second hen spotted the action, she wanted in and stole the poor snake from the first hen, and ran off with it. Well, the first hen was having NONE OF that and gave chase. Soon all 3 were racing around the yard, dodging, running, and stealing that thing from each other until it was consumed. I'm glad I'm not a snake!

 

[halo]

Ah, yes, the famous and well known Chicken Football. It goes like this....hens pecking around the yard, one spies a cricket. Quick as that, she grabs it and RUNS.......all the while screaming (as best as you can with a cricket in your mouth)....BRAAAAAWWWWKKKKK!!!! I have a cricket and its MINE ALL MINE!!!!! And the game ensues. They all take off running after her. One grabs it from her and runs the other way, then another grabs it and runs. First one to swallow wins! (which sometimes takes a few minutes because its apparently impossible to swallow and run at the same time).

 

[gryeyes]

And to take it down to the lowest, smallest, first level: when a chick in the brooder discovers a perfectly normal pine shaving and thinks it's special. "Mine! Mine! All Mine! Nobody can have this but me!" and they all chase each other for a pine shaving. It's eventually dropped in the fray and nobody got it.

So I have to go and get shredded mozzarella cheese to give them for their efforts.

 

[CT_Todd]

I call it "Chicken NASCAR"... Drop a worm in there and the one usually gets it starts running aroung the perimeter while 5 other chickens chase in a straight line behind her!! (Maybe they are drafting??) Just like NASCAR they all go in the same direction until finally one figures out to cut em off at the pass...

I don't like NASCAR (3 hours of turning left) but Chicken NASCAR is hillarious!

 

[AJ666]

Watching chickens is something that occupies me when I am bored. (that is often, by the way.) They are possibly the funnest animals to watch. My little girl found a toad too, but it could have fit on a penny! She easily swallowed it whole, but not before running all over my front yard with the other 6 in hot persuit!

 

[chickenzoo]

I've always wondered why a chicken, once it spies something, starts cackling anyway? If they would just be quiet, no one would ever know they had something they should be chased down for.... LOL

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
yep -- this is apparently a question that has been asked, yet never explained/answered down through the ages...