What was this chicken up to?

[Steve J]

I have five chickens.Two are Easter eggers, two barred rocks and a buff orpington. I keep them in a fenced in area, with a 5 foot fence. Clipped one wing on all but the buff, as she's too heavy to fly over the fence. I was watching them the other day and one of the Easter eggers runs up looks at me, then flexes on it's legs, backs off does it a couple of more times, then flexes again leaping into the air beating both wings like mad! It came up above the fence and I had to use my hand to keep it inside. I thought well their wings are trimmed on one side how did she do that? Yesterday I caught her and sure enough her flight feathers were grown mostly back, so I cut them back again, caught the rest and cut theirs as well. I haven't seen her act like that again and dumb as people say chickens are, would it be possible she was showing me she could get out? Because why did she run up and look directly at me flex like that, then show me she could get over the fence? She wasn't trying to get to me as she's the least friendly of them all and never lets me pet her, like 3 of the rest do.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Although chickens are smarter than a lot of people think, I'm not sure exactly what your EE hen was trying to do. It reminds me a little of how my hens (whether friendly or skittish) sometimes pop up when I am standing next to the run because they are excited about getting a treat, but that could be completely unrelated to what your EE was trying to do.

 

[Steve J]

I give them treats everyday and they always just run up and look at the ground. I never have seen any of them flex on their legs like that then fly upwards, right to the fence top. Anyway she showed me she needed her wing trimmed back again, no matter if she intended to or not!