why do my chickens do this?

[sydney13]

i just got 2 ex battery hens and they love to be outside. They stay in the same part of the yard were they like to take dust baths and they never really move to far away. Then ever time before they go back into the coop (they are out free range) they quickly walk around my whole yard and then turn around and go into the coop. They rarely move from their favorite part except every night before they roost. Why do they do this?

 

[trunkman]

Are they southern chickens?

I'm from the south so don't take offense, I have a chicken that lags behind the others when its time to go into the coop just before dark and when she gets to the ramp she goes off to the side and looks in at the other chickens then goes all the way around the coop to get to the other side of the ramp and looks in again, tries to jump into the coop from the side of the ramp and always misses. Then she goes all the way around the coop to get back to the other side again and tries to jump into the opening again, she does this for about 15 minutes till she finally jumps high enough to make it in...I laugh at her every night!

 

[PunkinPeep]

I once had a small flock of 3 chickens, who i had sleeping in a dog house at night and free ranging during the day. It wasn't usually all of them, but usually the last chicken to go in would sit at the door and watch until it was time for me to secure them for the night, and then she would get out of the dog house and walk all the way around the dog house several times before going inside. To me it was like she was checking for danger - or that's what i always assumed. Kind of sounds like similar behavior. Fun to watch, whatever it was.