Chickens are Funny

We usually let our chickens out of the pen when we’re outside doing yard work, gardening, or playing sports in the back yard.

I’m convinced that chickens are one of the many ways that God shows us his sense of humor.  These birds are so comical to watch — their facial expressions, the way they walk, and the things they do will cause the observer to laugh out loud.

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The chickens will generally follow each other around, though we have one in particular — Amber — who is the free spirit of the flock.  Amber likes to do her own thing.  She loves being around people, much more so than do the other hens, and she will even rub herself against your leg sometimes in a way similar to how a cat would.

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The above pic is of my youngest son holding Amber.

The chickens love taking dust baths! They’ll dig a shallow pit in the dirt and then wallow around in it (not too unlike a pig in mud!).  Why do they do this?  I’ve heard several reasons: it actually helps them get clean; it prevents or remove tiny bugs; and it helps them cool off on hot days.  I don’t know though.  I think maybe they just do it because they can.  It sure looks like a lot of fun.

My youngest son took this next video of one of our Ameraucana hens taking a dust bath.

The hen below is Rosie Sunshine.  She also has a sweet disposition.

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The hens have been intensely curious about the new chicken coop we are building.  I dug the trenches last weekend (along the perimeter so that we can bury chicken wire, preventing animals from being able to dig their way into the pen), and several of the hens were following me so they could search for worms and bugs in the freshly dug earth.

These hens are a lot of fun, and they’re not demanding.  They don’t require — in fact, they don’t really want — your personal time in the same way that a dog or cat does.  They’re quite happy walking around the yard, looking for bugs and other things to eat.

We actually did have a hawk swoop down last week and try to pick up one of these large hens!  The hen survived and the hawk only got a fist full of feathers.  We have other predators around too, so we only let these birds out when we can be out with them.

As I’ve said before, chickens are great pets!  And their eggs are wonderful.  Speaking of which, it’s time for breakfast.   See ya later!