Fun Facts!

Fun facts about chickens!

        There are many things we don't know about chickens, even though many of us eat them every day. Most likely, they were first domesticated for cockfights and not food. There are 25 billion chickens in the world. That is the most of any avian species. They outnumber humans by almost 20 billion! Contrary to popular belief, they are omnivores. They do eat seeds and insects, but they also eat mice and lizards. Chickens were the first bird to have its genome sequenced in 2004. 

        Chickens form complex social structures known as pecking orders. Just like our current government, every chicken knows their place in that order. Although, maybe the chickens are doing better at that than we are. Roosters perform a behavior called "tidbitting" where they make vocalizations while moving their head up and down, all the while picking up and dropping bits of food. Females prefer these males in addition to brighter combs.  If the female chicken does not deem the male she recently mated with worthy, she can eject his sperm. This usually occurs when the male is lower on the pecking order. 

        Hens are very defensive about their chicks. They will defend extensively against predators. So think about the next time you call someone chicken! Hens also talk to their chicks before they are born. They teach them calls and other vocalizations before they even hatch.

        Chickens are similar to humans in that they have full-color vision. They also experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This means they dream. They can distinguish between more than 100 faces of their own species. Last of all, both chickens and humans love to sunbathe on a hot summer day.