Chickens are amazing creatures. We had them when them when I was young but they were for meat, not pets. I had no problem cutting their heads off or dunking them in boiling water to make plucking easier.
But with just two layers (I lost one to a fox!), I have gained respect for my feathered friends.
Chickens have long been associated with cowards and chicken-livered ‘fraidycats, thanks to William Kemp’s Nine Days’ Wonder, in which he said: “It did him good to have ill-words of a hoddy doddy! a hebber de hoy!, a chicken! a squib!”
But while chickens can be seen running about in a dither at times (like a chicken with its head cut off), these feathered birds are actually highly intelligent.
Did you know?
- Chickens can remember and recognize over 100 different faces (both human and animal).
- Chickens are among the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
They were domesticated abut 8000 years ago, evolving from the Red junglefowl. These wild birds were able to fly to escape predators and roost high in trees. Today’s chickens still fly but only short distances. - Chickens bathe by covering themselves in dirt, which is essential to helping chickens stay clean! Chickens have an oil gland on their back that is used to spread oil over their feathers to make them waterproof. Over time, the oil goes stale, and chickens need to wash the old oil off through dust bathing.
- A chicken not only learns to recognize their name but also the names of other in the flock.
- The colour of the hen’s earlobes determine whether she will lay brown or white eggs. Generally, hens with red earlobes will lay brown eggs,
- Chickens have colour vision, and are able to see red, green and blue light. They are also able to see ultraviolet light.
Don’t underestimate these birds!
Cariboo Diaries 