May 7: Instincts

I continue to delight in all the time I get to spend with my baby chickens and I am fascinated by all of their instinctual behaviors that I am noticing. This is our third batch of chickens, so I have become very familiar with the typical behaviors of a chicken, and now I can recognize the beginnings of these behaviors in the babies. 

For example, yesterday during our greenhouse adventure time, a hawk flew over us and its shadow could be clearly seen. That is an immediate sign of danger to a chicken, and they instinctually know to hide (duck and cover) in order to not get snatched up. All four of them dove for cover: Boco hid under my leg, Cecelia and Saltina hid behind a trash can, and little Munchkin squeezed herself between a bucket and a flower pot (by far the most clever hiding spot). It was amazing to witness this moment, because I certainly did not teach them this, they didn't have a mother hen to teach them, and they had never even seen a hawk before. They just knew that big scary shadow = duck and cover. I was so impressed! 

Another instinctual behavior they have exhibited since I met them is the kick and scratch move that chickens do when they are foraging for bugs. The babies did it in the brooder, even though sadly there were no bugs for them to find under the pine shavings, and they do it in the green house to get the worms and ants. 

Another behavior I've seen since the beginning is them knowing how to preen their feathers. They aren't born with feathers, but started growing in some when we got them, and all four of them have figured out how to preen. 

And this morning, Munchkin exhibited the instinct of the dirt bath, which we see not only all of our chickens, but also the wild turkeys, do in our yard. They fluff up their wings and kick dirt into them and then hunker down and almost bury themselves in the dirt (for awhile we had a big hole in front of our house because it was the chickens' favorite dirt bathing spot). Seeing Munchkin "bathing" in the pine shavings in her cage was delightful, and just another example of all the cool things chickens are born with.

I get the same feeling I know I would get if I had a child, and she spoke her first word or took her first steps. I very much enjoy witnessing these "firsts" with my baby chicks!

With delight,

♥Jamie