Page 16 - ALG Issue 3 2023

chickens
Chicken facts you didn’t know!
1. CHICKENS CAN RUN AT 9MPH A chicken can run a mile in about 6 minutes and 40 seconds with a top speed of nine miles per hour. This will vary depending on the breed, fitness level and disposition of the individual chicken.
2. CHICKENS DO NOT SWEAT
In general, chickens are better equipped to handle cold weather rather than hot weather. This is mainly due to their feathers. In order to cool down, they will drink water or flap their wings to get rid of some body heat. When overheated, they will also pant.
3. THERE ARE MORE CHICKENS THAN HUMANS IN THE WORLD How many chickens are there in the world? There are currently more than 20 billion chickens in the world. For reference, in 2018 there were over 8 billion humans in the world.
4. BROWN EGGS COST MORE THAN WHITE EGGS
Some people believe that brown eggs cost more than white eggs because brown eggs are more nutritious or are organic. However, both brown eggs and white eggs are equally nutritious and white eggs can also be organic. The cost difference is due to the fact that the brown egg producing hens generally eat more and cost more to
keep than the white egg laying hens.
5. CHICKENS DO NOT TAKE BATHS Chickens do not take baths with water and soap. Instead, they take dust baths. This involves fluffing up their feathers with some dirt and using it to clean their bodies. It scrubs off dead skin cells and gets rid of oil build up. This all helps
to keep their feathers fresh and clean. Interestingly, if there is no dirt available for dust baths then chickens will still go through the motions. This is like taking a bath without water for humans.
6. HENS DO NOT PLAY FAVOURITES WITH THEIR CHICKS
Do hens play favourites? Interestingly, hens do not play favourites when it comes to her chicks. This is perhaps very different from human parents who will probably deny it, but still play favourites. However, the chick that responds to her calls first does get the best portion of food – it truly is first come first served!
7. CHICKENS CAN RECOGNISE PEOPLE
Do chickens recognise their keepers? Yes. Chickens can recognise and differentiate between people with different faces. Also, they seem to prefer people with beautiful faces. Some traits that define a beautiful face include symmetry and proportions.
Chickens do not take baths with water and soap. Instead, they take dust baths
8. CHICKENS ARE NOT COLOURBLIND
Although many people think chickens are colourblind, they aren’t. Chickens actually have great vision – better eyesight than you. They are even able
to see differences in colours that we cannot see. As little chicks, they are able to easily sense their way around obstacles and can even differentiate between high and low spaces. This all develops relatively quickly (usually in two days). For reference, this level of sight development takes weeks and months to develop for other animals like kittens and humans.
9. DO CHICKENS KNOW THEIR NAMES?
The short answer is: maybe. The long answer? Although chickens have
been known to communicate through sounds, there is no scientific evidence that chickens know their names. However, it is possible that you and your chickens have experienced that – especially around the time where you feed them, chickens seem to respond to their name being called.
10. CHICKS START TO PECK AT THREE DAYS OLD
When does the pecking order begin? Pecking order behaviour does not start until after the chicks are at least three days old. Once they are 16 days old
the fighting for pecking order starts.
In all female flocks the pecking order
is generally established at ten weeks whereas in all male flocks it takes much longer.
Chris Lesley
Visit www.chickensandmore.com for more of their fascinating facts
16 Allotment and Leisure Gardener