Mirror, Mirror

Backyard Poultry

Good to Eat?

Finally, we see a little bravery here! With a chicken, the unfailing first thing to do when checking something out is to peck at it. And that's exactly what Buckeye did as soon as the toy appeared to be safe enough. Did you ever wonder what plastic tastes like? I don't know if chickens always peck just looking for some treat or scratch grain hidden in the corners, or if it's actually some form of interacting with the object. I have one hen that always comes up and pecks at my clothes when I'm in the chicken coop. I've never had scratch in my shirt, so I don't know what she's after!

Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Seeing their own reflections in the mirror seemed to really freak my hens out. They were like, Do I have a double or who is that chicken? The Araucana, Acorn, which you can also see in the picture above, could not seem to stop staring at itself. That's what chickens do when they're having a pecking-order who's-on-top contest. Funny thing is, this chicken didn't move unless Acorn did!