There are a lot of chickens spread all over the globe. In fact, they outnumber us immensely: for our circa 8 billion people, there are more than 34 billion chickens in the world. Those are chickens that are used for food but also pet chickens. And no wonder these birds are so popular, because they are very interesting. For example because of these facts.
Egg colour
Faces
Tree birds
Colourful
Dreamers
One eye open
Complex language
Oldest chicken
There are a lot of chickens spread all over the globe. In fact, they outnumber us immensely: for our circa 8 billion people, there are more than 34 billion chickens in the world. Those are chickens that are used for food but also pet chickens. And no wonder these birds are so popular, because they are very interesting. For example because of these facts.
A chicken with red earlobes lays brown egg, a chicken with white earlobes lays white eggs. The gene that determines the colour of the earlobes seems to do the same with the colour of the egg.
Egg colour
Faces
Chickens are social animals and are able to recognize up to one hundred fellow chickens. With this knowledge, they can also remember the pick order. Next to their own kind, they recognize humans and other animals in your family.
Tree birds
Chickens originally lived in wooded areas and would be roosting up in the trees. We now say they go ‘op stok’, meaning they sit on wooden bars in their chicken coop, but they used to go ‘up trees’.
Colourful
Chickens have great colour vision due their eyes having five types of light receptors. With these, they are able to see ultraviolet light and iridescent hues. They see a lot more colours than humans do.
Dreamers
Chickens can dream, just like us. They have a REM (rapid eye movement) phase in their sleep, which is the period in which you dream. What do you think they dream about? Perhaps being able to fly long lengths, or wandering in a forest full of delicious food? Unfortunately, we will never know…
One eye open
To stay within the theme of sleeping: chickens are literally able to sleep with one eye open. They have a sleep phase called USWS (unihemispheric slow-wave sleep), in which one half of the brain is asleep while the other one is wide awake. Because of the one opened eye, they are able to watch out for predators while sleeping so they can flee when one is in sight.
Chickens have their own complex language. They can make at least 30 different sounds which each have a specific meaning. There is a special vocalization to call their offspring, they make a kind of purring sound when they are content, can call their family to alert them that food is served and of course they have a sound to warn other flock members about predators. Even when their babies are still in the egg, the mothers talk to them in a soft purring noise and the babies even respond with a little peep. Almost the same as human mothers talking to their baby and make their baby move or kick.
Complex language
Oldest chicken
The record for oldest chicken goes to Muffy, a rooster who lived to be 23. He died in 2012 and since then no other chickens has taken his title from him. Peanut, a chicken that died in 2023 came close: she lived happily up to the impressive age of 21 years old.
