Hide and seek is a game that involves a group of individuals hiding from a single seeker. In this case the group are chickens and the seeker is you. Unlike the children’s version of this game no-one other than you ever gets to be the seeker. Check out the photo above. We had 6 chickens at the time and someone has been disguised, this is a clear sign the flock want to play!
Aim of the game:
To find all the missing members of your flock
Equipment:
Nothing but patience, calm and a flock of missing chickens or possibly just one missing chicken
Rules
- A chicken can hide where she likes, this includes in the next door neighbours garden
- Your flock do not need to let you know when they intend to start hiding from you
- A chicken is not hiding she is actually off having fun elsewhere
- You are always the seeker unless you leave the flock in the care of friends and family and they let the flock loose for some unexplainably stupid reason. You did tell them not to let them out didn’t you?
- The game ends once all the chickens have been found. If a chicken is found outside the confines of the garden you then have to start playing a different game, eg hug chase, follow the leader or chicken herding and it will soon change to chicken divining if your chickens get flustered or are not well trained.
- At all times remember your chickens are cute, cuddly and your favourite food providers. They were just exploring, it’s not their fault you were not aware they had been playing sneaking off.
- It is ok to use chicken divining rods to aid your search.
- If you can’t find all your chickens, put the ones you have safely away and wait for the missing one to return. A chicken knows where her food source is, where her flock is and where she has a safe place to roost at night. It is highly likely she will come home eventually even if that is when it starts to get dark.
- It is not unheard of for a found chicken to sneak off whilst you are looking for someone else in the flock
How to play
- This game starts when you realise you do not know where all your chickens are, see rule 2.
- You then start looking for them in all of their usual hang out places. This should include all dust bathing holes, anywhere they particularly like to dig for worms, the foodie treat store and any of the more easily accessible forbidden places.
- If unsuccessful then expand your search to include under any convenient bushy shrub, any inconvenient bushy shrub, the shed, the greenhouse and the compost bin.
- If unsuccessful look above ground level for convenient perching places such as the back of chairs, the table, walls up to 1.5 meters high and low hanging branches.
- Then think about whether it is egg laying time and check the hen house.
- If still missing recheck all the places you have already looked, she will not know that you are looking , after all a chicken is just having fun and will be very absorbed in it.
- If you are certain your missing hen, or flock, is not in the garden try in the house and the gardens of your neighbours, expanding the search in ever increasing circles enlisting the help of others as you go.
- Search until you either find all your chickens or you get to the stage when you are convinced the missing hen, or flock, has flown the coop then see rule 8.
Winner
You are the winner once you find all your chickens. This does not mean you have won the day however, you still have to get all your chickens home, but that is another game.
If a chicken remains unfound this does not make her the winner
Happy hunting!