4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Adams Egg]

Being new to chicken keeping ( 5 days!) my son went out to kick his football up and down the garden, as soon as the chickens saw it they went in to a complete state of panic, despite being in their run.

Will they become tolerant or is the size and speed of it resembling the movement of a predator?

Thanks

 

 

Edited June 10, 2008 by Guest

[ajm200]

The first time our neighbours boy kicked a football over the fence our girls went into a state of panic and we had soft shelled eggs for a few days.

 

Now 2 months on they don't seem too bothered as long as it isn't coming directly at them, hitting the run or makes a loud noise when it lands. They just steer clear of it and treat it with suspicion.

 

Ours have had to become quite tolerant though as they share the garden with a loud and boisterous toddler. If yours are used to a quiet life most of the time and only see the football from time to time they make take longer to get used to it.

 

(Pls excuse my typos, I have a little helper bashing the keys while I'm typing)

[Chickvic]

Mine are quite tolerant now so long as it isn't aimed right at them! The only thing that has really changed is that sometimes my 8 yr old plays football in his wellies!

[AJuff]

Mine got used to footballs from day one! There isn't a day goes by without a football thanks to our boy. They still don't like it when it lands on their run!!!

[chickencam]

Mine hate footballs. We put one in the run after seeing it on one of the Hugh or Jamie programmes earlier in the year and had to take it straight out again. They just about tolerate our son bouncing his blue football around the garden but hate small black and white ones.

 

I think that it is the whole Chicken Licken thing

[chickenanne]

They'll get used to it - ours used to freak at the noise of passing tractors, now they're not bothered at all. So long as the big scary thing doens't harm them then they'll ignore it after a while.

[hennymom]

tried a footy in with the girls, ....they are not the least impressed they prefer daddy drilling/sawing wood and building and hammering, they are soooooooooooo nosey!! they have to watch everything that goes on, I imagine if they see a football often and it does not harm them they will eventualy get used to it...

[ChrisP]

Mine love it when next doors football ends up in our garden, they run into it and then squawk loudly as it moves and when it stops they do this again It's great entertainment, and they seem to love it! Yet if i put a ball in their run, or roll it towards them, they run away and give me evil looks all day

[Adams Egg]

Thanks for the info, time to start football training then

[Abbey Road Girl]

A noisy road traffic bridge runs past my back garden. The girlies do sometimes raise their necks in alarm (or at least "wot's that?' ) but they are all in all very calm.

 

Now if a football found its way into the garden gently enough (?), they might check it over for slugs and snails and then give it a pass. They would normally prefer weeds.

[Egluntyne]

I gave mine a football to play with.

 

They didn't so much as look at it.