Theories about "glitches in the matrix" have become particularly popular since the pandemic, and it seems people on social media have been finding examples everywhere, from a woman stopping her walk midway across a street to a dog disappearing behind a tree.
TikToker @brianna_antoinette recently added an especially interesting example to the mix when she shared a video of her five chickens freezing in place for two whole minutes.
The TikToker decided to record a video of her chickens as she called them over to eat—but as they started to follow her, one deviated away from the group and gave a low growl sound. Then all five chickens froze in place mid-step.
Repeatedly, the chicken keeper attempted to call the chickens, panning her camera back and forth between the five of them. Other than their feathers moving in the wind and some signs of breathing, the birds did not change position at all for two entire minutes.
Only at the end of the video when the TikToker's partner appeared did they move again.
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers were perplexed by the video and agreed it could be a glitch in the matrix.
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Others tried to joke the moment away.
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But it turned out there was a reasonable explanation for what happened.
Some TikTokers had been wondering if the chickens were picking up on the electrical current from the electrical box attached to the side of the blue shed, or the wires coming out of it. Perhaps they were experiencing some sort of sensation when too close to it and froze in response.
In a follow-up video, the TikToker explained that the wires were not electrical in nature but were hung to protect the chickens' pen area. They originally had ten chickens and were down to five because of a hawk that frequented their area, and the wires were hung to prevent attacks.
You can watch the video here:
The growl that one of the chickens omitted before "the glitch" was likely a warning sound to their coop to freeze in place to prevent a predator from noticing them.
Fellow TikTokers agreed that this was a reasonable explanation.
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While it's startling to see the chickens freeze in place for such a long time, they more than likely were being especially careful after losing so many of their fellow chickens.
Case solved (allegedly)!
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky