I think I just saw a chicken cry

[suebee]

I've observed my chickens showing emotion. This story is so sad. So sorry.

 

[tadpole98]

We once had a cow who had her calf die, she stared down at it and tears trickled down her face

 

[cassie]

Chickens may grieve, but they don't cry in the way we do. Meaning with sobs and tears. Just about all social animals grieve and mourn loss. Anyone who says they don't are simply ignorant. Emotions are hardwired into the brain. They are not an exclusive characteristic of humans.

 

[ange92040]

Rest in Peace Daisy so sorry for your loss

 

[AHDCST]

I am so sorry for your loss. Animals absolutely grieve the loss of a loved one or friend! I'm glad her buddy got to say goodbye. I'm sure you will have fond memories of them together.

 

[ChickenPeep]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[DDRanch]

I join the others who are sorry for your loss. I believe that our animals do indeed show sadness and do grieve. I keep my girls until they pass and more than once as one old hen was dying, the others gathered around her and clucked softly as if to say good by. My head hen settled down in front of the crate that I had the sick hen in, and stayed there all through the night.

i am so sorry. It's never easy to lose one.

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

So sorry for your loss. I also believe that animals have emotions. Last year, I had two ducklings. I went outside to find them snuggled up together, only one was dead. She was so lonely after that, and so much less active. I felt so sad for her...

 

[Gold Coaster]

“When animals express their feelings they pour out like water from a spout. Animals' emotions are raw, unfiltered, and uncontrolled. Their joy is the purest and most contagious of joys and their grief the deepest and most devastating. Their passions bring us to our knees in delight and sorrow.”

Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy - and why they matter

 

[Afterburner]

My PR suddenly died on Halloween. When it was getting dark and time for the hens to go inside, her sister kept trying to 'wake' her and lead her into the coop. Even when I had to removed the dead hen and gave her a proper burial, her sister kept running around and looking for sister. I finally had to pick her and physically place her in the coop. Her sister never laid an until February of the next year.