For those who have been keeping chickens for a long time, we like to think we know all the facts about chickens. Like when they get up for breakfast, right down to their favorite food (for us it's worms)!
However, we bet we've rounded up 20 surprising things below that even the most seasoned chicken keeper wouldn't know before reading this...
Table of contents
20 chicken facts that might surprise you
#1 Fact about chickens: They see better than humans
It is commonly believed that chickens are color blind and have poor eyesight, but this is not the case. They actually have better eyesight than humans.
Humans have three different types of cones in their eyes, meaning we can perceive red, green and blue colors.
Although chickens have two additional types of cones, they can also distinguish between violet and ultraviolet light.
This means that roosters can see the sunrise and crows long before humans can even see the sunrise - often it takes about an hour for people to see the sunrise.
Chickens teach each other
So you thought only humans taught their descendants? No, chickens teach their chicks from an early age what they can and cannot eat.
In a laboratory, researchers tested this and found that mother hens taught their chicks to avoid certain colored grains. [bron]
Facts about chickens, they have their own language
Chickens can make more than 30 unique sounds, all of which are used for different purposes. Their caws and crows are usually used to sound the alarm for danger or food!
We say more than 30 unique sounds, but in reality it is probably much higher than this. But so far, researchers have only tracked 30. [bron]
For example, roosters have several vocalizations that alert their chickens to newly discovered food items. He'll pet them to tell them to come over for a bite to eat, and as always: ladies first.
A rooster's crow warns chickens of impending danger, but it can also be a way to communicate with their caregivers if they need something.
Roosters will also show his hens where he thinks are the perfect breeding areas. He snuggles in a small room and clucks softly to his chickens to show them how and where to nest.
Chickens know who their owners are
Chickens can recognize up to a hundred human faces. This means it doesn't take long to recognize who their owners are and who the sweet person feeds them every morning.
Many chicken owners even claim that their chickens can recognize their dogs; we do notintroducing our dogs to the chickensanyway... just in case!!
Fun facts about chickens: The earliest chicken joke dates back to 1847
So we all love a good why did the chicken cross the road joke!
Question: Why did the chicken run across the road?
A: A car came.
Question: Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?
A: She wanted to stretch her legs.
Quickly continue with these bad jokes! They wrote the first chicken joke in 1847 in the New York Monthly Magazine.
Chickens are smarter than babies: Facts about chickens
Object permanence is the ability to understand that objects still exist even though they are not visible.
Human babies can usually understand the permanence of objects when they are about seven months old, but baby chickens sometimes develop this ability as early as two days of age.
The chicken dream
Did you know that chickens experience REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep?
During REM sleep we dream – we like to think that our chickens are dreaming of the lovely fresh straw we have just lined their nest box with.
Or maybe the delicious sweet water we just filled their drinks with!
Record-breaking facts about chickens: The oldest chicken ever lived to be 22 years old
The average life expectancy of chickens is about 3 to 4 years due to their vulnerability to predators and diseases. However, well-cared for backyard chickens can live to about double that: 7-8 years.
But Muffy, the oldest chicken ever, lived until she was 22 years old! Muffy was a Red Quill Muffed American Game born in Maryland.
Hen combs become larger just before laying
Chickens give different signals when they are ready to lay an egg. For example, her comb will turn a much more vibrant red and she will behave more submissively.
Scientific facts about chickens: They were the first birds to have their DNA sequenced
In 2004, the chicken genome was sequenced - making them the first birds to be sequenced...
There are about 4 to 1 more chickens than people
If we include each type of chicken breed, there are over 25,000,000,000 (billions) on Earth today.
Not only does this make them the most common bird species on Earth, it also means they outnumber humans almost 4 to 1.
Prehistoric Chicken Facts: Dinosaurs = Chicken?
Chickens can be traced back to theropods – a group of Saurian dinosaurs dating back to the late Triassic period (about 200 million years ago).
It's strange to think, isn't it, that the little chickens in our backyard evolved from something as dangerous as a T-Rex! [bron]
Chickens talk to their chicks before they hatch
Did you knowchickens 'talked' or clucked to their chickswhile they are still in their eggs? As the chicks grow older and develop in the eggs, they also begin to peek and squeak back at their mother.
This helps the chicks bond with their mother before they even hatch.
When the chicks hatch, they know their mother's voice and will follow it everywhere.
If you've let your hen breed in her nest and hatch her own chicks, you've had the opportunity to witness a rock-solid relationship between mother hen and chick.
Those babies know their mother's voice from day one.
How fast do chickens run? They are fast
Okay, if you've ever tried to collect chickens, you already know how fast they are. I remember the first time I tried to chase the chickens into their yard.
An hour later they were still chatting happily outside!!
But do you know how fast chickens can run?
They can reach speeds of up to 9 km/h for short bursts, but the chickens' real advantage lies in their agility: they can light a penny.
This speed and agility really helps keep them safe from predators – or help them avoid us if we try to herd them back into their cage.
Chickens have hierarchies
The term pecking order comes from chickens because they operate in a strict hierarchy – with those chickens and the top of the hierarchy setting the rules for the chickens below them.
If you introduce two pairs of chicks together, they will usually compete against each other to determine this order.
The pecking order does not only apply to chickens. There are also roosters, who usually dominate the pecking order.
If you keep a close eye on the chickens, they will eat close to the most dominant rooster because he wants to protect them.
But do chickens heal? Yes!
If you keep chickens in your backyard, you know this for sure. Before I had chickens, when I visited my friend and her chickens, it sometimes seemed like the chickens were playing games.
So of course I asked myself, “Playing chickens?”.
If you've never seen free-range chickens, this fact may surprise you...
Chickens spend much of their day running, scratching and jostling other chickens.
Dust baths are chickens' best friends
In every chicken coop you will see huge holes the size of a chick in the ground. Have you ever wondered what they are for?
Chickens love to dig in the ground and create a 'dust bath' for themselves. They do this to keep themselves clean and also to cool down in the summer.
Domesticated chickens came from Asian jungle fowl
Many researchers now believe that the domestic chickens we keep in our backyards are descended from Asian jungle fowl.
Unfortunately, historically, this junglefowl was first domesticated for co*ckfighting.
Fortunately, co*ckfighting is now banned in many countries around the world. [bron]
The sad fact about chickens is that certain breeds are becoming extinct.
Although there are currently around 25 billion chickens alive, more traditional breeds are increasingly at risk of extinction.
Many farmers now prefer hybrid chickens that consume minimal amounts of food and produce large quantities of eggs...
If you want to see which breeds are at risk, you can visitAmerican Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
A dozen eggs require four pounds of food
For a normal chicken to lay twelve eggs, she must consume about four pounds of feed.
Bonus Chicken Fact: Chickens have friendly personalities
Somepeople think chickensshould never be considered pets. On the contrary, many breeds are friendlier than other breeds.
And even within certain breeds, the rule always has an exception.
Some who have experienced the companionship of a friendly chicken have begun bringing chickens to nursing homes and schools to provide therapy or companionship.
Some chickens love to be held and are tame enough to help others who need a boost.
20 Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Facts
Do chickens bite people?
Well, it's not so much a bite as a co*ck. But the majority of chickens are not aggressive towards people.
Roosters are known to be mischievous towards their human companions. Chickens are only defensive when they feel that their offspring are threatened: chicks and eggs.
You get a few notches when they hatch and you try to get the eggs they are sitting on.
Are chickens color blind?
No, as we said before, the belief that chickens are color blind and have poor vision is completely incorrect.
So these areour favorite facts about chickenswhat we didn't know before writing this article. Leave a comment below with an interesting fact about chickens that you think we don't know!
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