Where No Chicken Has Gone Before!

[WallyBirdie]

I was watching my birds today and one managed to gravitate to a part of the property that I usually steer them away from. I got up to herd them back towards the others but stopped to watch... as the little fella hop-hop-hopped... into a patch of weeds and after a grasshopper.
He ate the grasshopper and ran back to the other chickens without my interference, as if he'd had a mission and happily completed it, thus could return home.

I watched for a while longer and saw a single guinea stray away. I know they don't like being separated, so I again got up to herd it back to the others... but like the chicken it wandered towards higher grass and came out with a treat- which happened to be a small field mouse. I didn't know if I was supposed to rescue the mouse or congratulate the guinea.
I didn't have to do anything because it seemed to get bored and dropped the mouse mid-run on its way back to the others.

Just for fun and curiosity- I wonder where other people's birds wander off to when they aren't supposed to. And why?

Could be fun to read those stories if anyone has some to share!

 

[Henry&Friends]

My neighbor across the street is afraid of birds. So their yard is the best yard to frolic all day in

 

[birdhelper84]

birds are like children you can try to keep them away from danger but that makes them want it more..so keep an eye out for they will make a brake for it if you dont

 

[ValerieJ]

That's adorable!!!

 

[WallyBirdie]

My neighbor across the street is afraid of birds. So their yard is the best yard to frolic all day in

Oh, your birds must be terrifying... ly adorable! So bad, going over to scare the neighbor.

 

[WallyBirdie]

birds are like children you can try to keep them away from danger but that makes them want it more..so keep an eye out for they will make a brake for it if you dont

True story, with very wise words.

 

[FortCluck]

I have my chickens in an 8-ft fenced free-ranged area that's 3,000 sq ft and it's connected to our dogs kennel which is 30 ft by 40 ft...

We have a Polish that flies over into the kennel and likes to fly on top of the kennel which is about 8 feet high and walk on top of it. It then will jump on the other side of the kennel where we don't allow the chickens because of the neighbor's dogs (they might think they're toys or something) and it decides it's going to free range the whole yard.

The other day it did not come back before it was bedtime and it must have slept out in the trees... It hasnt escaped since because I did not go looking for it I just left it out.

 

[FortCluck]

My neighbor across the street is afraid of birds. So their yard is the best yard to frolic all day in

afraid of birds... I wish I had a neighbor like that

 

[WallyBirdie]

I have my chickens in an 8-ft fenced free-ranged area that's 3,000 sq ft and it's connected to our dogs kennel which is 30 ft by 40 ft...

We have a Polish that flies over into the kennel and likes to fly on top of the kennel which is about 8 feet high and walk on top of it. It then will jump on the other side of the kennel where we don't allow the chickens because of the neighbor's dogs (they might think they're toys or something) and it decides it's going to free range the whole yard.

The other day it did not come back before it was bedtime and it must have slept out in the trees... It has an escaped since because I did not go looking for it I just left it out.

That is one mighty adventurous Polish you have there! Goodness I hope is stays away from the dogs and makes its way back to where it's supposed to be!
Thank you for sharing. I imagine your bird is quite the explorer.

 

[FortCluck]

That is one mighty adventurous Polish you have there! Goodness I hope is stays away from the dogs and makes its way back to where it's supposed to be!
Thank you for sharing. I imagine your bird is quite the explorer.

I swear my polish are like feral chickens. We bought two of them and the person who had them before didn't really handle them, so when we let them go in the fenced-in area they just did their own thing.

I honestly thought that something had got it that's why it didn't come back, but the next morning it was in the yard with it's sibling. We plan on having a group of free range chickens because I am hatching eggs and I want one of the roosters because of the coloring it should have and two pullets... I have two Jersey Giants in the fenced-in area so I won't put the new rooster in there because they are quite large and I feel like they'll destroy another rooster. I think the Polish might want to join those free range chickens if they see them.

They're actual bantam polish and can fly really high. One flew 10 feet up into a tree and my husband went climbing to get it.

We only got them because we wanted the smallest chicken we could find and the largest... Should see the Jersey Giants chase them, they're so clumsy with their big bodies