Thanks! :)
Whenever you see that pixely-style from me its usually because KetrinaDrawsALot didn't have time to make awesome art and I just did everything with Unity mesh primitives lol. It gets the point across! https://angryarugula.itch.io/nostalaga (here's a quick project from a while back with a Pixelate on/off toggle in the corner).
The chickens only run if they see you moving. I think my best time is like 39sec and its mostly by just standing still and only chasing when you are outside the Chicken FoV or right next to them. The chickens will telegraph their next move direction so look for the signs! :)
I love TriJam type jams because it really forces me to focus on pre-planning everything before the clock starts - its a great exercise to help with refining ideas/gamefeel.