Chickens Have Feelings Too!

Leading animal behavior scientists from around the globe know that chickens are inquisitive and interesting animals whose cognitive abilities are in some cases more advanced than those of cats, dogs, and even some primates. So next time you call someone "bird brained" you might be giving them a compliment.

Like all animals, chickens love their families and value their own lives. The social nature of chickens means that they are always looking out for their families and for other chickens in their group. People who have spent time with chickens know that they have complex social structures, adept communication skills, and distinct personalities, just as we do.

They can complete complex mental tasks, learn from watching each other, demonstrate self-control, worry about the future, and even have cultural knowledge that is passed from generation to generation.

Chickens comprehend cause-and-effect relationships and understand that objects still exist even after they are hidden from view. In this respect, they are more cognitively advanced than small human children.

A recent British study on mother hens showed that they were able to feel anxiety when their chicks were in distress. If chickens are able to relate to another animal’s feelings, they are capable of feeling empathy. 

According to the Daily Mail, empathy was once thought to be a uniquely human trait. Researchers at Bristol University in southern England chose to conduct the study on chickens because they believed that empathy had evolved in animals to help them look after their young.

“It’s very fascinating to find out about the emotional lives of animals, but also it’s highly relevant for animal welfare,” said Joanne Edgar, a Ph.D. student at Bristol who led the study. “The extent to which animals are affected by the distress of others is of high relevance to the welfare of farm and laboratory animals,” she said. 

The study involved separating the mother hens from their chicks so that the mothers could see and hear the chicks, but not touch them. They then tested the mother hens’ reactions when their chicks’ feathers were ruffled by a puff of air. When the chicks were exposed to air puffs, they showed signs of distress that were mirrored by their mothers, said MSNBC. The mother hens’ heart rate increased and their external temperature went up. The mother hens even emitted a “maternal vocalization” call which they used to try to call their young back to them.

Edgar said she is now conducting research to see if the same results could occur amongst adult chickens.

If these results hone true this would mean that chicken you eat for dinner did suffer and watched its friends die. Animals are living, breathing beings and deserve as much nurturing and respect as humans.

I hope this information helps bring to light in you and in the meat industry that animals feel pain and love. Would you want to grow up in a tiny cage and murdered for someone meal?

~Becky