A real chicken is a breed of chicken that can do well at what chickens are meant to do — lay eggs, produce meat — like a Dorking or Plymouth Rock. In fact, I remember poultry judge Bruno Bortner calling an especially nice Dorking “a real chicken,” meaning it would be productive without pampering.
Listed below are some of the most common, most prevalent myths about chickens, along with the truth. Many of the myths about chickens are false, but some myths are true. In fact, one of the craziest myths about chickens—one of the ones that almost no one believes—happens to be true.
What do chickens do in the wild?
In the wild, jungle fowl spend 61% of their time foraging. Foraging behaviors include pecking and scratching at potential food sources, as well as looking for and sampling possible food sources. Providing chickens with a complete feed eliminates the need for foraging in order to obtain nutrients, but the hens will continue performing this behavior.
Are chickens just girls or are they different species?
Chickens are not just females! Chickens are not a sex, they are a type of bird. They are a subspecies of the genus Gallus, known as Gallus gallus domesticus, and to have a self-perpetuating species, you have to have both males and females.
How do chickens recognize each other in a flock?
In order to develop a pecking order, birds must be able to recognize individuals in a flock. This ability allows them to identify and peck only those hens lower in the pecking order. It is not clear what clues chickens are using in order to identify individual chickens within a flock.
Just like with our species, male chickens like to impress the ladies. Being a gentleman is remembered by the hens and the likelihood of her mating with him increases. When he has selected his chosen female, he will do a little courtly dance around her to signal his interest.
How does a healthy chicken look and act?
A healthy chicken is a busy chicken. It is aware of what the other chickens are doing. The healthy chicken is pecking the ground, scratching the dirt, and chasing others away from a tasty morsel.
What do you know about your chicks?
Chickens have full-color vision —no color-blindness here! Who likes to sunbathe? Apparently everyone—humans, cats, dogs, and chickens too! You can’t blame them, and they don’t even need sunscreen. Chickens are real sleeping beauties— they experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which means they dream just like we do.