Do chickens miss those who have died?

I see this thread is a couple weeks old, but I wanted to clarify. I am a trained scientist and professional biologist and my training includes the field of animal behavior. Current scientific understanding does not state that chickens, birds, or any vertebrate species operates purely on instinct. This also holds true for some invertebrates. Modern biology states that emotions exist in human and non-human animals because emotions impart a survival advantage. The specifics of emotion lie along a continuum across the animal kingdom. The idea that animals don't experience emotion is outdated and was largely based on religious beliefs (man as separate from all other animals). So the question is not whether they experience emotion but which emotions and to what degree. That is a very active field of inquiry these days, especially now that techniques such as MRI can be employed.

There is some truth to it. However non humans dont have the exact emotional feelings or complex reasonings and thoughts like we do because we have a HIGHER intelligence in the animal kingdom because of the sizes of our brains.

Meara said:

I see this thread is a couple weeks old, but I wanted to clarify. I am a trained scientist and professional biologist and my training includes the field of animal behavior. Current scientific understanding does not state that chickens, birds, or any vertebrate species operates purely on instinct. This also holds true for some invertebrates. Modern biology states that emotions exist in human and non-human animals because emotions impart a survival advantage. The specifics of emotion lie along a continuum across the animal kingdom. The idea that animals don't experience emotion is outdated and was largely based on religious beliefs (man as separate from all other animals). So the question is not whether they experience emotion but which emotions and to what degree. That is a very active field of inquiry these days, especially now that techniques such as MRI can be employed.

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Meara said:

I see this thread is a couple weeks old, but I wanted to clarify. I am a trained scientist and professional biologist and my training includes the field of animal behavior. Current scientific understanding does not state that chickens, birds, or any vertebrate species operates purely on instinct. This also holds true for some invertebrates. Modern biology states that emotions exist in human and non-human animals because emotions impart a survival advantage. The specifics of emotion lie along a continuum across the animal kingdom. The idea that animals don't experience emotion is outdated and was largely based on religious beliefs (man as separate from all other animals). So the question is not whether they experience emotion but which emotions and to what degree. That is a very active field of inquiry these days, especially now that techniques such as MRI can be employed.

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I agree very much with what is stated above. I also work as a scientist (zoologist and animal scientist) and behavior is constantly a concern or is being manipulated. Only real difference relative to above is that I do not like to use the convention of human versus non-human categories as it is artificial and lumps artificially many species that are less similar to each other than they are to humans.

Another point I must make with those observing chickens is that most of time we are observing artificial constructs (product of domestication) that are often kept under condition that promote odd behavior patterns. It would be nice for more people to see how the most important ancestral component of the chicken (red jungle fowl) behaves under conditions where they control social groupings and must contend with environment using their behavioral tool kit. The dumb and purely autonomous chicken concept will quickly be abandoned.

It's been interesting to read everyone's experiences. My silver Sebright died - she was top of the pecking order. I was surprised to find that afterwards the whole flock seemed a lot calmer and more peaceful as a group.

One of my black star chicks died when she was about six weeks. It was a hawk attack death, and so I had put her companions in a dog kennel while I could cover the tarp. They just sat there, in shock- probably not from her death, but the attack. For some reason I brought the dead, perfectly intact chick over to them. I held it out in front of them. They had been completally silent before, but now they started peeping to eachother. Little, sweet peeping like they did when they were chicks. They'd never done that before. I took away the chick to bury her and they stopped. I think they were sad.

I can't speak to what happens when one of a flock dies, but I have certainly had experience of the strong bonds that form between hens in a flock.

I had a few RIR's and one of them, Ginger, was attacked by a dog so I set up a hospital pen inside the house for her to nurse her back to health. Her BFF Frida spent all her days beneath the window of the room I had Ginger in 'talking' to her constantly. After a few days of this, I bought Frida inside to keep Ginger company - Ginger's health rapidly improved once Frida was with her, and she was back outside in a week.

I had only two hens. My oldest died last night and the other one seems lost, she keeps running out of the house clucking. I am heartbroken

I am pleasantly surprised to find people who think of non-human creatures, chickens in this case, as sentient beings instead of just "so much dead meat", as I was taught for much of my life.
There are times when reading in these forums gets really depressing for me, because of some people`s [am afraid lots even] cruel attitudes towards chickens.
So reading posts that recognize and acknowledge chickens having feelings and even grieving....THANKS!
Of course, the intelligence of non-humans is different from the intelligence of humans. But it is DIFFERENT, not inferior.

I learned much during my years as a "wild" bird rehabilitator, learned it from the birds themselves, no human told me.

An old rooster with health problems lived with me for 2 1/2 years. We bonded very closely. He cooped inside with me, spent days outside, and he was such a sweet, trusting and loving creature. When I put a disabled hen with him, he got very worried and upset when she had grand mal seizures.
And the hen was grieving after he died. The little guy also had an uncanny ability to pick up on my moods, positive and negative, and he got agitated when I felt bad.
I stayed next to him or holding him during thunderstorms at nights [which he was scared of].

Now he is flying free on the other side. The tiny disabled hen and another hen and a cockerel are now living with me.
All are excellent teachers.

birdfreak

Idahomestead said:

One of my hens from a flock of five, died today, and I was wondering what behaviors do the survivors exhibit? Do they miss the missing member of the group? We buried the deceased hen and one of the girls stuck her head down in the hole to see what was with the dead hen, but the rest of the flock was just interested in what food we may have unearthed during the burial process. Inquiring mind wants to know.

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Wow. I am surprise to read so many responses here from people whose hens reacted to the loss of a flock-mate. I have lost several over the years and in no case did the others seem to even notice the change. In one case a hen died (probably of old age, she had been slowing down quite a bit) keeling over right next to a raised bed where another was pecking around looking for bugs. The live bird perched on the edge of the bed, jumped down and LANDED on the body of her dead flock-mate, hopped off and proceeded on her way. It may as well have been a rock. In two other cases, an old hen (also showing signs of decline) died overnight one in the coop and one under it. The others were out pecking about the next morning showing no signs of distress or even interest. The one time they showed any interest in an ailing "sister" was when one got sick. Then they pecked her. I guess each flock and each chicken is different.