Tonight around dusk I went out to "The Barny" to close up everything and make sure all the chickens were ready for bed. The big chickens were all roosting normally, but in the nursery the chicks were all in a tizzy. I couldn't see any apparent problem, but they were all acting nervous and they were louder and more vocal than usual. We looked around the coop for anything out of place or any intruders. Besides the pair of barn swallows that were darting in and out, there were no unwelcome visitors. After 10 mins or so, they still hadn't calmed down and I still couldn't figure out the problem.
I decided to set up camp and wait.
It didn't take long.
I had a front row seat to the new farm reality show "Roost Wars"
(sorry for the poor picture quality, it was dim lighting and I had to use my cell phone)
There are PLENTY of roosting spots available,
but all the chicks decided they wanted to compete for the same area.
At one point I counted 15 chicks trying to roost in one spot.
It took a good 30 minutes or so for everyone to either
admit defeat, find a different spot or be declared a victor.
It was quite humorous to watch and also hard not to intervene.
I admit there were a few times that the chicks couldn't quite make the flight up to the roost, and then I would pick them up and place them further down at an empty spot.
One bold chick (Lucy Goosey) actually walked on the backs of
3 different chicks until she got the spot she wanted.
I am glad I stuck around.
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