I’ve seen chicken roaming the streets, sitting in planters, generally acting like feral cats in Key West. They didn’t seem mean. I really thought they ate plants and bugs and things. I bet they eat a lot of dead lizards there.
Oh yeah, chickens will wreck lizards, alive or dead.
They really are predators, just not exclusively so.
Our rooster sometimes gets in the mood and will go out into the brush and run down mice and such. The hens usually just grab what comes to them though. They’re plenty satisfied with their feed, the occasional egg that they don’t want around, and bugs. But if a small rodent catches their eyes, it is on. There will be mighty roars! Okay, more loud and satisfied buking with the sounds of thrashing as they dismember their prey.
But they aren’t really mean per se. They’re just driven by instincts more than a lot of critters. They see blood, and that means food, even if it’s a flock member bleeding. They have to establish their hierarchy within the flock, and that does come with some (okay, a lot sometimes) pecking, but it isn’t being done just for the fun of it. It admissions maintains a stable flock and ensures resources for the ones that are on top if resources run low.
As long as there’s plenty of food and space, they don’t kill each other intentionally, as in to eat. They’re just highly motivated, and it goes bad sometimes.
They can be really sweet to each other, and to humans. My little hen is sitting here on the arm of the couch preening and seeking attention as I type this. Every evening when she comes in, we cuddle a bit before she naps. And she’ll nestle with both the other birds at times as well. She’ll also keep both of them in line with pecks as needed, including the big numpty of a rooster that’s twice her size, but ten minutes later they’ll be in their little spots next to each other being companionable.
They aren’t exactly smart, or even highly complex in the way you might expect birds to be if you’ve been around parrots and their ilk. But they do have that mix of vicious instinct and affection that a lot of social animals have.
If you’re interested, in my post history, last sunday I did my usual weekly comment in the !casualconversation@piefed.social pets sunday post. I put pictures of our three in the comment. The community used to be at !casualconversation@lemm.ee , but that instance is shutting down. But I’ve been telling stories about our adventures in chickening for a while now. They are endlessly entertaining to me lol.
I’ve seen chicken roaming the streets, sitting in planters, generally acting like feral cats in Key West. They didn’t seem mean. I really thought they ate plants and bugs and things. I bet they eat a lot of dead lizards there.
Oh yeah, chickens will wreck lizards, alive or dead.
They really are predators, just not exclusively so.
Our rooster sometimes gets in the mood and will go out into the brush and run down mice and such. The hens usually just grab what comes to them though. They’re plenty satisfied with their feed, the occasional egg that they don’t want around, and bugs. But if a small rodent catches their eyes, it is on. There will be mighty roars! Okay, more loud and satisfied buking with the sounds of thrashing as they dismember their prey.
But they aren’t really mean per se. They’re just driven by instincts more than a lot of critters. They see blood, and that means food, even if it’s a flock member bleeding. They have to establish their hierarchy within the flock, and that does come with some (okay, a lot sometimes) pecking, but it isn’t being done just for the fun of it. It admissions maintains a stable flock and ensures resources for the ones that are on top if resources run low.
As long as there’s plenty of food and space, they don’t kill each other intentionally, as in to eat. They’re just highly motivated, and it goes bad sometimes.
They can be really sweet to each other, and to humans. My little hen is sitting here on the arm of the couch preening and seeking attention as I type this. Every evening when she comes in, we cuddle a bit before she naps. And she’ll nestle with both the other birds at times as well. She’ll also keep both of them in line with pecks as needed, including the big numpty of a rooster that’s twice her size, but ten minutes later they’ll be in their little spots next to each other being companionable.
They aren’t exactly smart, or even highly complex in the way you might expect birds to be if you’ve been around parrots and their ilk. But they do have that mix of vicious instinct and affection that a lot of social animals have.
If you’re interested, in my post history, last sunday I did my usual weekly comment in the !casualconversation@piefed.social pets sunday post. I put pictures of our three in the comment. The community used to be at !casualconversation@lemm.ee , but that instance is shutting down. But I’ve been telling stories about our adventures in chickening for a while now. They are endlessly entertaining to me lol.
Thanks. I’ve read your posts about your little hen and her nighttime ritual. Sweet, bossy girl.
Chickens sounds like the cats of the bird world. Lovey and vicious. Would eat you if they were hungry, or maybe just for fun.
We have household joke that the hen is allowed to eat our eyeballs, particularly if we’re dead, but not limited to that state.