I’m being Manipulated By My Chickens

I have been a chicken mama and Learning The Chicken Ropes for a couple of months now and they are still so dang cute.

It has been really cool to learn about them and I’m definitely looking forward to the eggs. 😊 I always wanted chickens and I now get why chicken owners get obsessed cause I definitely am!

But, it hasn’t been without challenges.

The only thing that I haven’t liked is bedtime for my chickens. Because that’s when they go into the coop for sleepy time. They have a little ladder to climb and I can close it from the outside.

But, if they don’t go in, you can’t get to them. Well, unless they come towards to the run gate so you can pick them up and put them in from the outside. And f you think that they willingly come to the gate when you want them to; you have never met my chickens. Haha!

Way too many times, I had to sit and wait for one lone chicken to get close enough to grab. (Grabbing them is so great for our bonding…sigh). There was even one night when my husband and son stood at the other end so that she would come my way. Have you ever tried to “motivate” an animal to run away without actually scaring/traumatizing them? Not my first choice of family quality time. But, sometimes, you do what you gotta do.

To be clear, I still adored them through all of this.

Then came the glorious day when it got easier. Two of them went in on their own after I put one in myself. Yay for group mentality! I really couldn’t believe it! After a few nights of this, I came out and they were all in their coop and ready for bed! I can’t even tell you how much of a relief it was not to have to spend half an hour putting chickens to bed. Because, you know, I’m lazy at all times of the day but in the evening, when I’m ready to go to sleep…then I’m super lazy. 🤣

Weeks later, we are good. They head to bed on their own. Sometimes just as it turns dark and sometimes, they hold out longer. Much like human children! And also, much like human children, if I go out there to close the door, they will hear me and they usually come running out to say hi. And, because I evidently don’t really understand the concept of reinforcing a behavior, I will usually then give them treats. What can I say? They are cute! 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, I thought it might be fun for you to imagine me tip-toeing across my yard just so I can close the door of a chicken coop without three chickens hearing me! 😆