Chickens are some of the most misunderstood animals on the planet, yet they’re also some of the most loveable animals. These facts about chickens will prove it.
There are more chickens on the planet than any other land animal, and they’re not deserving of the painful lives they endure in the factory farming system. Explore these 11 following facts about chickens to learn a little bit more about them and what you can do to support better chicken welfare.
1. Chickens can recognize up to 100 faces
Chickens don’t just recognize other chickens, either. These faces include those of humans! Chickens even remember positive or negative experiences with the faces they recognize and pass that information on to members of their flocks.
2. Chickens dream
Similar to dogs and cats who may act like they’re chasing something while asleep, chickens also have very vivid dreams! Chickens experience rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, but researchers don’t yet know what they dream about. We can only imagine!
3. Chickens pass down information
It’s not just your grandparents or parents who can show you the shortcuts to life—such as the best way to cook spinach or the best cleaning methods. Chickens pass down knowledge from generation to generation if given the chance to do so.
Baby chickens.
4. Chickens chirp to their eggs
One of the sweetest facts about chickens you’ll ever hear is that hens chirp to their babies while they’re in the eggs, and the chicks chirp back! They also make around 30 different calls to communicate with each other, expressing everything from “thanks for the food!” to “there’s a predator in the coop!”
5. Chickens are hierarchical
If you’ve heard the term “pecking order” in your life, that comes from the flock structure of chickens. These pecking orders are extremely complex social structures and flock members know exactly where they fit in.
6. Chickens use past experiences to make decisions
Like how we’ve learned not to touch a hot stove or why we need to wear sunscreen, chickens use past experiences to inform their decisions. They’ll remember enjoying certain foods or what brought danger to their flock and make decisions based on those experiences.
7. Chickens empathize with their peers
Chickens are the epitome of empaths. Empathy is one of the most interesting facts about chickens. If a peer is hurt, stressed, or even happy, other chickens will not only understand, but share those feelings.
Factory-farmed chickens.
8. Chickens have great memories
They can solve puzzles by pecking at the pieces with their beaks to let their human helpers know which ones go where. Chickens have also been caught on tape finding treats hidden under cups.
9. Chickens purr like cats!
When a chicken is happy, cozy, and safe, they will close their eyes and purr softly. This is one of the funnier chicken facts—you’ll just have to trust us on this one.
10. Chickens suffer immensely on factory farms
Chickens are the most intensely farmed land animals on the planet. With billions (yes with a “b”) of chickens spanning the globe, they often suffer in tight, filthy factory farms for egg and meat production. Learn more about factory farming and what you can do to improve chicken welfare.
11. Chickens are deserving of good lives
Chickens are sentient beings, meaning they experience a wide range of emotions and can feel pain. Each chicken on a factory farm has a distinct personality and desires, but factory farms deny everything that comes naturally to these intelligent and sensitive animals. Every chicken deserves a good life where they can raise their babies and perform other natural behaviors like foraging for food, dust-bathing, and roaming freely.
There’s more to chickens than meets the eye, and these 11 interesting facts about chickens prove it. When you stand with World Animal Protection, you can help usimprove chicken welfare. You can also affect change in the factory farming industry by eating less chicken yourself.
FAQs
Memory: Studies have shown that chickens can remember up to 100 individual chickens and can even recall specific individuals after months of being separated.
How fast can a chicken fly? ›
How long is a chicken's memory? ›
Memory: Studies have shown that chickens can remember up to 100 individual chickens and can even recall specific individuals after months of being separated.
What did chickens eat 100 years ago? ›
Before the 20th century, poultry were mostly raised on household farms and ate insects, table scraps and plants around their pens.
How high can a chicken jump? ›
However, if they're startled by another chicken or a predator, separated from their feathered friends, or just really unhappy with something on their side of the fence, they can jump over 6 feet to get to somewhere more appealing.
How long can a chicken fly without stopping? ›
The longest recorded flight of a modern chicken lasted 13 seconds for a distance of just over three hundred feet. It may not sound like much, but for those wrangling a flock of backyard chickens, fifty feet may be all the distance it takes to encounter unhappy neighbors, angry dogs or busy roads.
Can chickens fly over a 6 fence? ›
Most breeds, even heavy breeds, CAN fly a four foot fence if they are motivated. In some cases they'll fly a much higher fence. And if they are being chased by something, for example, ALL breeds are far more likely to try to flee their enclosure! Flee, chicken, flee!
Do chickens notice if one dies? ›
Yes, chickens can tell when one of their fellow kind has passed away. Often hens peck with intent to kill and only stop once they are satisfied that their victim is motionless and dead. The pecking order is so established that when one hen is removed, it will take a while for the flock to sort itself out again.
How long can a chicken run without a head? ›
Usually this lasts seconds, but in 1945 a US bird dubbed 'Miracle Mike the Headless Chicken' famously lived 18 months after its head was removed.
What is chicken lifespan? ›
Chicken lifespans vary widely, with most hens generally living between 3 and 7 years. However, with ideal care, they may live even longer. If a chicken is kept safe from predators (including dogs) and has no genetic issues, it can certainly live 10 to 12 years old.
Chickens have a great memory for faces!
Chickens have the ability to recognize and remember around 100 different faces (human, and chicken!). If you have backyard chickens and they get excited when they see you or their favorite people, that's why!
Do chickens purr like cats? ›
Chickens purr like cats!
When a chicken is happy, cosy, and safe, they will close their eyes and purr softly.
Can chickens get sunburn? ›
What about sunburn? If any of your chickens are missing feathers, either from an aggressive rooster, being picked on by other hens, or during molting, they can get sunburn. You can make sure that particular hen is in the shade until feathers grow back, or you can also put on a “chicken saddle” …
How many chickens get eaten a day? ›
For chickens, the daily count is extremely large – 202 million chickens every day. To comprehend the scale, it is better to bring it down to the average minute: 140,000 chickens are slaughtered every minute.
How many chickens are killed every year? ›
Worldwide, estimates suggest more than 70 billion chickens are killed each year, not including chickens killed by the egg industry. Broiler chickens — chickens raised for their meat — are bred to gain weight at a rapid pace so they can be slaughtered at around 6 weeks old.
How many eggs can a chicken lay a day? ›
The magic behind each farm fresh egg is a 24-to-26-hour process, with much of the work happening overnight. At their peak, laying hens can lay up to one egg per day.
What do chickens do all day? ›
Chickens spend around 61 percent of their active time on foraging and feeding behavior. Foraging behaviors include pecking and scratching at the ground to find food sources. Feeding behaviors involve consuming and ingesting food.
