What the cluck?! A Vermont farmer's homemade Instagram video of chickens marching in a single file line in deep drifts of snow is getting some attention on social media after it was posted on Monday, Jan. 19.
Ardelia Farm & Co. owners Bailey Hale and Thomas McCurdy, the proud papas of the obedient chickens, explain the fowls' unusual habit to Us Weekly.
A clip on their farm's Instagram account features dozens of chickens marching through snow — one right after the next — in a tidy line that would put schoolteachers to shame. "Slow commute this morning," reads the caption, "but one lane southbound is clear."
McCurdy, a former pastry chef who wed Hale in a farm wedding in 2013, tells Us that the ceremonial "march of the chickens" is a daily occurrence.
"Every morning, they make their commute from their coop to the barn for breakfast," McCurdy tells Us. "Our chickens roam freely all four seasons of the year."
He and Hale, a former opera singer and floral designer, were not always allowed to freely care for their birds (affectionately referred to as "girls" by McCurdy).
Back in 2011, the couple's backyard chicken flock was busted by Philadelphia authorities, prompting the two to abandon urban life for good. They rented farmland in central New York before buying their dream farm in 2014. Located in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, their pasture-based farm produces flowers, poultry, pork, goat milk, and baked goods.
