What caused tem to be so afraid?

[bigspringshatchery]

This past Saturday I loaded up my older breeding stock and took them to te sell. I can usually go in my pens with the birds and they are fine. But this weekend they were going crazy. They were flying into the fence and acting like something was after them. I got to thinking that it was what I had on. It was a cool morning so I just put on my brown coveralls. They were like the Carhartt brown. Could the brown scared my chickens for some reason. All my chickens were scared not just one pen. I thought it was bc I was catching them and had them worked up, but I went back about 3 hours later to feed and the ones that I left were still scared.

 

[Ukiah]

Could be that you were catching them. When you came out they may have all said "OH NO, NOT AGAIN! RUN!"

However, if I where my camoflauge jacket out to do my daily chores, my birds FREAK.

 

[Fierlin1182]

Were you carrying anything? My chickens are deathly scared of anything large carried by a human, because they remember when a box was used in the past to transport some of their friends away...

 

[kannna]

It was probably the different outfit. They didn't recognize you. Did you try talking to them? I wore my big winter coat out to the coop one day and they all freaked out. Once I started talking to them they calmed down and realized it was me.

Either that or they were on to you about the poultry sale

 

[Yvonne37894]

You look like a big brown bear, dog or something that would do harm.
reminds me of someone else that brought in a big black bag of shavings and her chicken freaked out.

 

[bigspringshatchery]

I wasn't holding anything. I do have a redish brown pitbull but she's never messed withy chickens. She runs along the pens. They might have confused me with her. I won't be wearing them in the pens ago. Some o my hens nails were bleedin from hitting the fences and stuff.

 

[cmom]

They sensed something was different.

 

[KCAmelia]

No, it is the carhartt!! My chickens run from me in my carhartt or my son in his!! Never known anyone but us and don't mind other coats, camo, bright blue, hoods, hats of any type of color or anything in my hands, but hate carhartt!!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It would be worth putting on again and see if you get the same reaction. Otherwise, I might suspect a visit from a predator prior to your arrival... or even one watching that you didn't notice.

 

[KCAmelia]

I have tested it! I've gone out four separate times in my carhartt jacket, twice on one day and on different days, and every time they scatter, trying to climb the wire fence and tearing toenails (sometimes) in the process. Seemed mean to keep checking. Didn't understand but accepted it, and then my son was wearing his friend's jacket yesterday, and they freaked out again! He tested it twice more, with the jacket but without his hat, etc., but they were still terrified. They all calm down when the jacket wearer leaves the area.