Chickens are social animals and it may surprise you that they are so much more than just egg layers or meat producers. They can even be pet birds. They can and do show affection. Some of their affectionate behavior is subtle. But this article will help you to uncover the 5 ways that chickens show affection to their human keepers.
Remember All Chickens Are Different
The first thing to remember with chickens is that they are all individuals with their own personalities. And whilst there are many ways that chickens can and do show affection not all of our feathered friends will show affection in all of these ways.
Chickens show affection in a variety of ways and each with their own differing affection level. There are lots of reasons for this including how and who raised them. Chickens that have been exposed to gentle human touch since birth are likely to be more affectionate birds than, for example, ex-battery hens whose interactions with humans were potentially less positive, or non-existent.
So always remember to focus on your individual chickens and what they are like with human interaction with the knowledge that they are unique with their own personality. Don’t expect all of your adult chickens to be affectionate chickens, especially when you keep different chicken breeds.
5 ways that chickens show affection
1. ‘Doing Egg’
In our family when a chicken crouches low in a submissive stance, we call this ‘doing egg’. It’s when a chicken submits to their owner. In the low crouch position we know that they are happy to be picked up. The chickens don’t run away. It is a sign of trust and affection. This is natural chicken behaviour, when a chicken is submitting to a rooster for mating. And when the same behaviour is demonstrated to a human it is about trust.
Chickens like gentle handling, when our birds ‘do egg’ we know that they want physical contact. They want to be picked up and stroked. We know that they are in a comfortable environment ready to have the positive experiences of gentle touch, being stroked and talked to.
For us, ‘doing egg’ is a sign of affectionate behaviour. But not all of our chickens will ‘do egg’ all of the time. Sometimes they are not in the mood, and rather than adopting the submissive stance they will turn and walk the other way.
2. Following Their Chicken Owners Around
When a chicken follows their owners around this can be a sign of affection. Chickens are showing trust in you when they follow you. They are interested and social.
If you want your chickens to follow you then remember that sudden movements are not good near chickens. Also avoid loud noises. Both of these will scare your hens.
Make sure that when you are around your chickens that you maintain gentle interactions, one of the best ways is to use your voice – talk calmly and quietly to your chickens when you are interacting with them.
3. Hearing You And Coming To Find You
Chickens are reasonably intelligent animals. When they hear you coming, or hear you nearby they will come and find you. This is a sure sign of their affection. They are curious and inquisitive and have made a social bond with you. And when they hear you they will come to find you.
Our chickens are enthusiastic to see us, their body language shows this as they come running up in a relaxed state.
Over time our chickens have learnt when it is in their interest to hang around. They are always keen to see us if they hear us, but sometimes after saying hello they will wander off to do their own thing. However if they think that we might be working in the garden in a way that might unearth a tasty treat then they will likely hang around. For example, when we were laying a patio, lots of tasty worms came to the surface!
4. Noises And Vocalisations
When a chicken is being handled and it is making purring noises, gentle clucks and happy sounds this is a sure sign of affection. This chicken is happily enjoying the social interaction and audibly reinforcing the social bond between chicken owner and chicken!
Some chickens do not like to be stroked but they still make happy chicken noises. It is easy to hear the happy chicken chatter, which is calm and content. Little clucks and coos, happy chicken sounds are very different to scared or stressed chicken sounds.
Chickens that have ample space to roam and display their natural behaviours will be able to be more affectionate because they will not be feeling stressed or cramped in a confined space. They will be able to be sociable to their fellow flock members as well as their human owners.
5. Sitting In Your Lap Or On Your Shoulder
Some chickens make great pets, they will happily be lap pets, they will sit with you, perhaps on your shoulder or in your lap. This level of trust takes time to develop. But with patience and perseverance making direct eye contact at feeding time, always maintaining gentle interactions with your birds, reading their body language, spending time with them and talking to them you will build their trust. Once you have built trust then they may welcome the opportunity to sit on your lap and be stroked. They will reward you with gentle purrs, coos and clucks of contentment.
How to tell if a chicken likes you?
A chicken that is happy to see their human companions will have relaxed body language, it will come towards you with its tail feathers neutral. It will cluck and coo contentedly. These are all signs of chicken affection, that it is pleased to be around you. If you have food or treats it will come and scratch and peck near you to find what you have brought. Also a chicken that is relaxed in your presence will groom itself, a sure sign that it likes you!
Can chickens get attached to humans?
Chickens are curious creatures, they can enjoy the company of humans and they can and do make a choice to follow their human around rather than go off and do something else. In that way they are attached to them.
Do chickens show affection to each other?
Chickens can preen and groom each other, which is an important way for them to establish their social order. Whilst this common behaviour helps to establish who is at the top of the pecking order, it is also very much a sign of affection and a demonstration that the bird is content in the presence of another.
Do chickens like to be stroked?
Many chickens love to be stroked, but do remember that not all chickens like it. You have to ensure that you understand their individual personalities and not assume that what works for one will work for all. They will let you know through their behaviour whether or not they are content with being stroked.
How to show chickens you love them?
If you want to show these fascinating creatures that you love them then be gentle, spend time with them, observe them and when they are ready you can pick them up and stroke them. Also give them lots of space to be chickens with ground to peck and scratch at. Provide them with clean sanitary conditions and healthy food and plenty of water. These are all aspects of good practice that we as chicken keepers should be doing anyway as well as signs of love!
How do you get a chicken to trust you?
An old hen or chickens that have come from factory farms will require a different approach to baby chicks.
Older hens require a lot of time, gentle talking, being with the chickens, consistently showing up with food. Avoiding loud noises and sudden movements. All of these will result over time with the chicken starting to trust you. Stay consistent, and really give the bird time. This is what works.
For little chicks it is the same, but the process will likely happen much more quickly as the chicks do not have any past negative experiences that may influence their trust in you.
In conclusion chickens are fascinating creatures capable of affectionate interactions. They bring much joy to our family as well as laying eggs. They may be farm animals, but they also cross the line into being pets too.
What is your experience with affectionate chickens? What type of chickens do you keep and how do the personalities of the birds in your flock differ? I would love to hear in the comments below.