Tag: chicken

The Chicken’s Senses

Hearing and Sight
Chickens have an acute sense of hearing; they don’t have an ear lobe but have a well developed ear. They have panoramic vision of about 300°, and binocular of about 26°. They can’t rotate their eyes very much, therefore, move their head to follow objects. Their ability to discriminate color is yet to be learned.

Rhode Island Red

Communication
A large part of their communication is postural, which signifies both threat and submission. But I have observed vocal communication skills which indicated a wide variety of sounds about:
Mating
Contentment
Food
Danger / Fear
Submission
Territories
Distress
Warning
Nesting
Laying eggs
Taste
My observations on the chicken’s ability to taste are limited to their dislike of food that is bitter, sour, too sweet, or too salty. They have about 340 taste buds in comparison to a human’s 10,000. They don’t like drinking water that is warmer than their body temperature, but show a liking for near-freezing water.
Smell
There is very little research available about a chicken’s sense of smell, or if it’s of any significance to them at all. 
Observe your Chickens
The best way to better understand your chickens is to watch them and observe their behavior and their character traits.  Every member of your flock has likes and dislikes, and a personality all their own. In time, you will be able to identify behaviors by a specific sound or call.  There is a structured language among your flock members, listen, watch, and learn.

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Tiny Blood Spot in a Chicken Egg, What Does it Mean?

Many people believe that a blood spot in a chicken egg means that it is fertile. I’d like to clarify that misconception and explain to you exactly what it is. First of all, these eggs are nutritionally just fine to eat, and there’s no need to be grossed out either. A blood spot in the egg does NOT mean it’s fertile.
When you crack open an egg and see that teeny tiny blood spot, be assured it is nothing more than a ruptured blood vessel on the yolk surface that happened during the egg formation process. Or, sometimes in the wall of the oviduct. If the blood spot bothers you that much, it will stick to your finger if you lightly touch it. Out of sight, out of mind!

eggs
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Feed Store Chicken Lottery

The Pullet is a Rooster? Options and Solutions

They’re pullets, all female, and that’s why you bought those cute little chicks from the feed store. You certainly didn’t expect to get stuck with a rooster, but now you’re the unlucky one who has fallen into that teeny tiny margin of error and has an unwanted cockerel.
Considering your Options
Check your city ordinances, roosters are often banned in suburban areas, so considering the impossibility of hiding him, an eviction notice is definitely in order. I know this is a hard decision, but it only takes one neighbor to complain and the law will be snooping and sniffing around your property.
If you are allowed to have a rooster you still may have a problem if you already have one. Rule of thumb… more than one rooster to a flock is a no-no.  Another thing to consider is your hen’s eggs are going to be fertile, not exactly an ideal situation if you’re selling eggs.
Not all chicken keepers raise meat birds, so we folks who keep only layers have completely ruled out killing and cooking one of our birds for dinner. That’s an art in itself, and if you’re like me, one better left to somebody else.
Check with the feed store you bought the bird from, sometimes they’ll take it back.  But realistically, most unwanted cockerels share the same fate, a dinner plate.
If the feed store idea is a bust, it’s time to re-home the roo. Ask friends who might live in a more rural area. Craig’s List has come through for me time and time again. Last year I had six roosters to re-home, and they all sold for $5 bucks each.  Just keep in mind, cock fighting does exist, so weed out the riff-raff and dust off your good judge of character skills.
Beat the Odds of the Chicken Lottery
There is a solution to that 1% margin of error when buying sexed chicks.  If you want to be assured you’ll never get stuck with a rooster again, buy sex-linked chicks.  They’re idiot-proof in the sexing department because the hens hatch one color and the roosters another.  They’re hardy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wrote the book on egg laying.
Sex Link Chickens
Two common varieties are the black sex-link (also called Black Stars) and the red sex-link (also called Red Stars).

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