Interesting chicken facts

Left to right, Carmen, Ramón, Conchita,
and in the foreground, Ramona

Before we acquired our chickens, the only thing I knew about chickens was how they tasted. :-D

I've been doing a lot of reading about chickens and learning as we go. These are a few interesting facts that I've read about or observed. If you are city folk like me, you might find them interesting, too.


♦ In some villages, people keep their chickens under their beds at night to prevent theft.

♦ Chickens can fly.

♦ After laying an egg, a hen announces the fact with a "pride of achievement" call. It's the loud bawk-bawk-bawk-baaaaawwwwk that you hear in chicken cartoons.

♦ Free range chicken eggs have less cholesterol and more omega-3 fatty acid.

♦ Hens on average lay an egg about every day and a half.

♦ A rooster isn't needed for a hen to lay an egg, only for fertilized eggs.

♦ Chickens pee, poop, have sex, and lay eggs through the same orifice.

Dog water tastes better

♦ Chickens do more than half of their pooping at night.

♦ Although chickens can withstand temperatures several degrees below freezing, they do not tolerate temperatures over 40C very well, especially in high humidity.

♦ When do roosters crow? When they want to.

♦ Why do roosters crow? Because they want to.

♦ Raising chickens isn't just for rural folks. In Los Angeles, California, it's becoming a big fashion statement to have fancy chickens as lawn adornments.

♦ Chickens love to eat ripe bananas.

♦ Chicken feathers are very soft, like a rabbit's fur, when you pet them.

♦ Our chickens love to eat grass, but they only nip off the top half an inch or so of the blade.

♦ Now I know where the terms 'pecking order' and 'cocky' come from. When we received our second two hens, Conchita and Carmen, Ramón pecked them on the head a few times to show the new girls who was boss. Then Ramona pecked them on the head a few more times so show them who was 'head hen.' That pecking order remains in effect even though the second pair of hens are bigger than both Ramón and Ramona. Ramón is the epitome of cocky! He struts around, bossing the hens around all day.

Curious Ramona with Ramón in the distance

Chickens are as much fun to watch as all the chicken lovers say they are.

I ♥ chickens.