I have heard people comment,  "chickens are so dumb". I just don't happen to agree with that statement.  At first I thought there may be some truth in that observation, but recently I have decided that those silly chickens are pretty smart after all. I let my chickens out to run around the farm so they can  rummage through piles of leaves and dredg up goodies. They go straight for my flower beds and the leaves go flying; before long they have everything cleaned out quite nicely with the leaves scattered all over the place. If one checken finds something good to eat the other chickens come a runnin' to grab whatever is left.

If a fly, a moth or a grasshopper happens to invade the chicken space it sends a flurry of activity as those chickens take off in fast persuit of whatever passed within their eye sight. When it came time for the chickens to go back to their chicken house the fun would begin. I would try to herd the chickens back to their house but they seemed to  go in opposite directions. They were quite sneaky in their efforts to avoid going back inside. I spent time trying to outsmart them and usually managed to get them rounded up after 30 minutes of running all over the place. Either the chickens are pretty smart or.... well I chose to agree with my first thought that the chickens are pretty smart.

Who has time to chase chickens around? I needed to outsmart them so I could get them back in the house when I wanted to leave. I figured if I would bring out some goodies for the old gals, they would flock to me just like they did to a wayward grasshopper. Eventually, I became a wise grasshopper, bringing pieces of bread or vegetable scraps out with me. Now, when I go outside to do anything, all the chickens come running up to me and stare at me with great anticipation. They follow me where ever I go if I talk to them. If it is time to get back in the hen house I go outside with goodies in hand and call the chickens and they follow me right into the pen. Periodically, one will sit and visit a little bit after clearning out a cool spot in one of my flower beds.