They will keep you guessing for the rest of their days.I went out to do final coop check this evening and found Wingsy and Yami roosting side by side. This is an unusual and potentially volatile combination, since Yami likes to peck everyone else and Wingsy is the one who ducks her head down to shove other chickens across the roost bars if she's in the wrong mood.
I shone the light in just enough so that I could get a count. Surprisingly, it wasn't Yami who did anything first. It was Wingsy, who reached over and grabbed Yami's feathers (surprisingly gently, but definitely still pecking). Of course, Yami didn't like that and promptly turned around to peck Wingsy on the back of the head.
Chickens.
They will keep you guessing for the rest of their days.
Always gets the heart racing when the chicken count doesn't add up!I went out to make sure everyone (meaning all twelve of the chickens and the single duck that I am still trying to rehome) was locked up for the night. I go to do a count of the chickens, and I only get eleven. Well, I must have counted wrong, so I'd better count again. Nope. Still getting only eleven.
Now I'm more than a bit concerned because the chicken tractor has been closed to most of the chickens for the last week and a half due to being in use by one of the chickens while she recovers from an injury. Wingsy, who is the usual instigator for these kinds of shenanigans when one of them is missing at headcount time, could not have gone up to roost in the chicken tractor for the night like she has before. She is also (as I realize once I look again) on the roost bar, sleeping.
Finally, I find the missing chicken. Grumpy has decided to roost in the nest box for the night. I don't blame her for that, because she is looking more scruffy by the day as she is molting and it probably doesn't feel very comfortable to be bumping into other chickens all the time. I thought she was going to sleep in the box a few nights ago but she did go up by the time I checked on them for final count.
Of course, while this is happening, Fluffer decides that she is going to get off the roost and go sit in the box, because in her mind this is definitely something that should happen even though it is past nine pm at this point and getting very dark out. I haven't even collected eggs at this point, and Fluffer happens to be sitting on one of the nests that usually has at least one egg. She didn't like me reaching in to collect the eggs, and had to communicate this by pecking me very hard.
Chicken chaos never gets old.
Glad all is well. 
Always gets the heart racing when the chicken count doesn't add up!
I really think they enjoy scaring us to death.
I really think they enjoy scaring us to death.
Note to self: Always check the nest boxes for missing chickens before panicking.They really do! Confusing us, too!
I'm not surprised they're being a bit weird with the nest boxes, since I have several who are still trying to lay eggs while going through fairly intense molts.
Chickens.
