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.
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.
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!
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 