@qbteachmt "I envision people running in circles like chickens with their heads just cut off"

I used the phrase "chickens coming home to roost" last Friday.  Since then I have been wondering where it came from. it has a negative connotation, right?  But if you owned chickens, wouldn't you want them coming home to roost, rather than being eaten by wolves in sheep's clothing?  I'm too lazy to look it up online -- after all, I'm a tax practitioner -- so maybe someone can help here.