Author Topic: The funniest thing (Read 2669 times)

Bionic · « **on:** March 16, 2013, 08:04:58 am »

My chickens are always shut up at night. There is a closed door to the run and another to the coop.
When they hear my footsteps in the morning they barge their way out as soon as I open up.
I obviously forgot to close up last night and even though it had been light for a while they never made a move out of their coop until they heard my footsteps. They then all ran out as if I had just opened the doors. How strange

Mammyshaz · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2013, 09:08:17 am »

Not quite the brightest lot, Sally

Or maybe brighter than most for staying safe and warm

I forgot to lock the pophole once and got the shock of my life when I turned the corner and three hungry hens charged at the door screeching at me

wish they had stayed indoors.

goosepimple · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2013, 10:26:09 am »

It's quite nice the way they like their routine isn't it and the way that you're movements are included in that, I like that.

Your story reminded me that we once kept Tamworth piggies behind an electric fence. When we took the fence away they wouldn't go past where it had been no matter how we tried to lure them with titbits. We had to go in and push them past

A bit like my kids (human kind) they like things to stay the same and remain that way.

Daisys Mum · « **Reply #3 on:** March 17, 2013, 08:00:46 am »

I was quite surprised when the hens that I bought at Lanark knew which house was there's after only being in it for 1night, had visions of having to round them up in the half dark and put them to bed. I have 4 houses in the run so I think that was pretty clever, just trying to choose which one to enter for mastermind now

goosepimple · « **Reply #4 on:** March 17, 2013, 10:34:40 am »

It's those little grey and black uniforms your Bluebells wear Anne. Do they goose-step as well?

MAK · « **Reply #5 on:** March 17, 2013, 12:28:20 pm »

Yes - amazing how their body clocks work or how the recognise what us feeders are up to. Even our rabbits have wised up to feeding routines shared with the ducks and chickens. One rabbit escaped but turned up at each feeding time. She found her way in with the chickens each night for 2 weeks. We finally caught her and now after dark we have wild rabbits come and visit her every night and sit the other side of her fence.

sabrina · « **Reply #6 on:** March 17, 2013, 01:05:17 pm »

I find my find my chickens very amusing, they like to follow me about when I am mucking out. I expect they are looking for spilled horse food and its not my company they are after.

Bionic · « **Reply #7 on:** March 17, 2013, 01:09:01 pm »

Sabrina mine do the same. The pregnant ewes are in the stables at the moment and the chickens are always there when we muck out.
The muck goes on a bonfire which they pick over also. If they don't watch out we will be having roast chicken for dinner

harefarm · « **Reply #8 on:** March 17, 2013, 01:53:07 pm »

I think animals can be really fascinating. I have a 2 year 9 month old bantam and a pair pekin bantams which I got in January. A few weeks ago they decided to go for a wonder through the 5 bar gate in the garden into the field. They ended up around the side of the garden in the field in the hawthorn hedge where I couldn't reach them. I just got the bag of mealworms and they followed me back into the garden. When I came back indoors my OH called me the 'Pied Piper of the chicken world'. With them it doesn't matter what I do they want to be with me.

At night they won't go to bed until I am out there with them!

HesterF · « **Reply #9 on:** March 17, 2013, 03:44:21 pm »

Mine seem much dimmer than yours. I've left the pop hole open by mistake a couple of times but the ducks and geese have been locked in. When I've been up in the morning, the chickens have all been stood in the pouring rain queuing up to get in the goose house. Clearly not bright enough to work out they could just go back into their own house (or various other shelters) to stay dry.

When we were house hunting, we looked round one house that opened straight into open woodland. They had a dog with one of the sensors on his collar that responded to signals when he went over a certain distance from the transmitter (or between transmitters or something). Apparently he learnt quickly where that limit was (he got a slight shock) but not only that, the deer learnt where he stopped too. So when he started chasing them, they would stop just beyond the limit and turn round and taunt him

. I thought that was really clever!

H