What are your chickens afraid of?

[Country4ever]

I've been hearing how chickens go right up to a fence, where a coon is standing.
I've seen my chickens look with interest at a dog, a cat, and a huge woodchuck through their fence......totally unafraid.
What sorts of things actually scare your chickens?

When I first got them, and a hawk would fly overhead of their enclosed run, they would just about kill themselves getting into the coop.
Now they don't seem to notice. Do chickens who live in a protected run tend to lose that "red alert" instinct?
But.....if I walk into their coop with a piece of watermelon, or a fan........they all fly into the walls. Go figure.
Why don't chickens seem to fear coons?? Seems like lots of people lose their chickens by coons grabbing them through fencing. Why would the chicken walk up to it?

 

[clickie]

For a little while my chickens were scared of the little sparrows that would come into their pen. they weren't bothered by the larger birds, just the little ones. lol.

 

[chickenbottom]

mine are scared of the cawing of a crow that black annoying bird and they dont like the baaaa of a goat they live right next to a goat thats about it

 

[chickenfever]

Mine are very scared of my friendly labrador. He wouldn't hurt a fly, but they just about hurt themselves trying to get away when he's near.

 

[lakeguy55]

This is interesting. Ours are very much the same way. They show no real fear in their run of dogs, hawks, or anything else. But walk into the run with a stange dish, or different food, and you might as well have a hatchet in your hand. I wish we could condition them to alert, and run to the coop. We'd like to let them "wander" a bit, with our supervision. But we still are afraid of loosing any of our "feathered friends"....even the rooster!

 

[FrenchHen]

My chickens are scared of me.

 

[kcfuerst]

My girls watch the sky intently should a hawk be circling while they scramble to get under bushes, tables, chairs, whatever they can find. They are 13 weeks old.

 

[blue fire]

Bubbles are very scary!!!

So are sheets or towels.

 

[azelgin]

Mine seem to be very wary of the wood chipper.

http://www.upc-online.org/alerts/112303chipper.htm

 

[SportTees]

Scovy ducks are scary