Why Don’t My Chickens Like Me?

If you have been reading my articles, you probably know that my beloved chickens are afraid of me. And they have been from Day 1.

The first day I brought my chickens home, they flew the coop. I guess I should have known that since they are birds, they can fly. I’m a little embarrassed to share that I went up to the coop during the first few days and tried to get them to come to me. I sat down on the grass not far from the coop with little pieces of pancake and said, “Here, little chicky” in my softest, sweetest voice. Well, it didn’t work. They stayed away from me.

Knowing what a great person I am, I figured it was their issue and not mine. Chickens just don’t like humans. Period.

I held this belief for quite a while.

Then I met the Chicken Whisperer next door. She takes her chickens for walks down the driveway, and when she enters their pen, they have no issues with her being there. She told me she starts by holding them when they are just a few days old, and they get used to her. I can tell you that isn’t going to happen here, where I have a mama hen who will attack anyone who gets near her peeps. Let’s just say the Chicken Whisperer’s peep-raising experience was different from mine. So again, not my issue.

But when I started to have trouble with Oden, my mean rooster, I did some research on how to “tame” a rooster. I came across a YouTube video of a woman walking around her pen, surrounded by chickens. None of them were running away and squawking bloody murder. This woman just reached down and picked up her rooster. I can’t say that he enjoyed it, but he didn’t flog her and run away.

The final realization came at Christmas, when my dear friend Vicky gave me a chicken hat as a gift. She was so excited to give it to me, and I stared at her, confused. Why would anyone think of putting a hat on a chicken? She couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen any of this on YouTube. I checked it out and sure enough, people knit hats to put on chickens. And guess what? Those chickens aren’t afraid of their owners.

I did some soul searching and realized I might have to accept some of the responsibility for the fact that my chickens don’t like me. First, I have dogs, and my dogs love to chase the chickens and even retrieve them if they get out. Second, chickens don’t like sudden movements. So, when I enter the coop moving pretty fast or I dump a load of weeds into the pen, it startles them.

This led me to consider what I could do to change my relationship with my chickens. The first change I’ve made is to have the dogs SIT-STAY away from the pen when I enter. And I move much more slowly when I’m around the flock. I also bribe them with mealworms because chickens LOVE mealworms.

I’m hopeful that these changes will soon make a difference. More importantly, the chicken situation got me thinking: How many of us tell a story about our relationships with other people and how the relationship isn’t good because of the other person? One of the harder parts of being an adult is having the insight to examine the role I play in my less healthy relationships. It is so much easier to blame others than to consider how I could play my part better. Do I have biases that keep me from hearing the other person? Is my body language sending a message that I’m defensive? Am I talking over them? Am I taking the time to really hear the meaning behind their words?

EOS is designed to help leadership teams get strong in three key areas: Vision, Traction and Healthy. Vision means everyone on the leadership team is crystal clear on where the business is going and how it’s going to get there. Traction means executing on that vision with discipline and accountability. And Healthy means transforming the leadership team into a cohesive, fun-loving group of people who like working together.

Which part is the hardest? Healthy. I coach my clients to be open and honest. Being open means you hear what other people are saying, instead of just waiting for them to stop talking so you can start talking. Being honest means if there is something in your head, get it out. Just say it.

If you want your business to achieve your goals, the leadership team and the rest of the organization needs to become Healthy. A strong leadership team working together can achieve anything. And getting strong starts with being healthy.

Here’s my challenge to you: Take a look at one relationship in your life that isn’t where you would like it to be. Ask yourself, What are you doing to contribute to its current state, and what are you going to do about it?

Not sure? I’m here to talk it through with you.