That is a really interesting point about the singing. I had never thought about it this way before, but maybe one of the reasons people can feel so bonded to birds is that birds (even chickens!) sing to us, and I think we like to be sung to -- it is an expression of some kind of feeling, but it...
Another perspective on the hygiene and affection issues: I'm pretty sure my birds think I am a befuddled but affectionately tolerated flock member with a hygiene problem, because anytime I sit right outside the sand part of their run, they stop what they are doing and bustle over to give me a...
How interesting to hear this piece of history regarding chickens! I know that as a chicken keeper, I end up thinking about them mostly in the present day, as they forage around me, and it is fascinating to be reminded of a longer history of rewarding human-chicken relations and to hear someone's...
@Arwenelfmaiden
All the advice here is great! There was also a really nice thread on a related topic a while back:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/993020/no-progress-is-chicken-raising-just-endless-poop-clean-up-with-no-rewards
People gave the OP some helpful advice and supportive...