A lot of folks dont think chickens have emotions...

[barg]

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Sorry, but I must disagree.
To start, using the word "birds" and then saying they are pretty far down the evolutionary scheme of things; In truth,” birds" have been shown to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Studies with African grey parrots have been one of the primary sources of animal intelligence investigation.
Parrots in particular put up a decent challenge for superiority of intelligence to our closest relative, the chimpanzee.

But we are talking chicken so with that in mind I shall site this source
I take issue as well with the use of the word "instinct".
No one can honestly explain where instinct comes from; there are theories, but most of the time it is used to describe the action of a livening thing, with the intent of avoiding the need to truthfully evaluate why the action was initiated.

When exactly were we wired with "instinct" and how?
Until this question is fully understood, the belief that animals run purely on something that can't be explained is not terribly insightful.
I see the use of the word Instinct in much the same way I see the word "because":

Why did you do that? Instinct!
Why did you do that? Because!

In both cases the word is used to put an end to the question without actually answering it.
Why does a chicken take dust bath?
Is it instinct or do they enjoy it?
In my view it is because they enjoy it, yes there is an instinct to do so, but again, what is instinct anyway?

It can be easily postulated that instinct is simply the genetic memory of an ancestor passed down to their offspring.
In the case of dust bathing, the instinct was created by the original joy felt by the first chicken to do so.
Further it could be argued that the feeling of joy experienced by that first chicken would in all likelihood, need to be fairly intense to create such a strong genetic memory.

Of coarse this is all just hypothetical, but since we don't know when, where or how instinct is created, it is as good an explanation as any that can be put forward.

In science, observations are made and tested.
People who own chickens are constantly making observations about their chickens and many have observed an emotional state expressed by them.

Keep in mind that emotions did not suddenly appear when human beings hit the scene, they evolved in animals over time and for a reason.

One celled animals show what appears to be fear(the mother of all emotions) as they try to escape being eaten by other one celled animals, the complexity of a chicken brain is far removed from that one celled animal and far more similar to us.

The extent of chicken emotions is something we cannot know, not with the science of today, but we can observe that they do exhibit emotions and to deny that in order to make ourselves feel somehow superior does not serve to further our understanding and truth about the world in which we live.

In my next lecture, I shall attempt to explore how chicken emotions may be viewed within the context of M theory, the latest work in physics.

 

[allen wranch]

I find this a very interesting discussion and respect the different studies, theories and opinions people have posted.

On various threads in the past, opinions sometimes developed into strong emotions and the threads were locked.

Please continue in the civil manner your are doing so we can all continue to learn from each other. Good job !

Thanks...

 

[Davaroo]

I guess what I'm wondering, is why you don't think other species have emotions?

Its' really simple: I dont believe in equality. It doesn't exist, all noble notions to the contrary. Dont take this to mean that I am racist or any such blase notion as that. Its just that the differences between creatures are what sets them apart, not the similarities.
But, I don't believe that chickens share the same emotional "stuff" as we humans simply because we can explain their biological functions.
Ditto for dogs and dolphins, kangaroos and koalas.
They may feel something which we cannot quite grasp, but it is destined to remain a chicken only thing in the case of our cluckers. We can anthropomorphise all we want; I don't see that as changing soon.

As the biologist husband says, it is easy to mistake what we see for what we want it to be. The world was flat for centuries based on that.

However, since that whole flat-world thing was disproven in the long run AND since I am an open minded type, I'll say this -

When it is proven by the same genuine science that everyone uses (not pseudoscientific, self-promoting claptrap) that a chicken has written a sonnet, erected a memorial monument to a fallen flockmate or has destroyed another flock in the name of religion, then I will publicly change my view.​

 

[barg]

Quote:
Its' really simple: I dont believe in equality. It doesn't exist, all noble notions to the contrary. Dont take this to mean that I am racist or any such blase notion as that.
But, I don't believe that chickens share the same stuff which makes for emotions with we humans, simply because we can explain their biological functions.
Ditto for dogs and dolphins, kangaroos and koalas.
They may feel something which we cannot quite grasp, but it is destined to remain a chicken only thing in the case of our cluckers. We can anthropomorphise all we want; I don't see that as changing soon.

As the biologist husband says, it is easy to mistake what we see for what we want it to be. The world was flat for centuries based on that.

However, since that is the case AND I am an open minded type, I'll give you this - When a chicken writes a sonnet, erects a memorial monument or destroys a village in the name of religion, then I will likely change my view.

Once again erroneously equating simple emotions with intelligence, that’s kind of like equating Saddam Hussein with 911, the point has already been refuted.

As the biologist husband says, it is easy to mistake what we see for what we want it to be. The world was flat for centuries based on that.

I would argue that your statements are proof of this.

Added: Further, making the statement that, something that can be observed, does not exist because it does not hold with one person's opinion, does not hold up to scrutiny.
As the old saying goes, just because your paranoid does not mean they aren’t out to get you.​

 

[DuckLady]

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I agree. Just ask my husband who's the boss around here.

One of my sewing machines was honked off at me because he was thirsty. So I gave him some oil and he loves me again. He used his ability to show his emotion by bird-nesting the bobbin thread.

 

[barg]

Quote:
I agree. Just ask my husband who's the boss around here.

One of my sewing machines was honked off at me because he was thirsty. So I gave him some oil and he loves me again. He used his ability to show his emotion by bird-nesting the bobbin thread.

Ok, now I'm tempted to prove that your sewing machine has emotions, despite your sarcasm.
However, I will save that argument for another time and allow this one to continue on it's regularly scheduled coarse.

 

[DuckLady]

Barg, really, I was sincere, not sarcastic. I went to use Juki (the sewing machine) and he growled and clunked and made a bird's nest in the bobbin area. I asked what was wrong and he said "Juki Get What Juki Want. OIL!"
So I gave him some oil and you know, the way to a sewing machine's heart is through it's oil can.

 

[jenichick]

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ROTFLMBO

 

[barg]

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It is not that I doubt the truth of your sewing machines emotions; I just don't want you flagrantly hijacking this thread for your own agenda.

..And from a mod too..

 

[Davaroo]

I had to drive to Greenville SC today and had some time to think about all this. As I come home and wade through it, I am reminded of the worst, and best thing about these sorts of discussions.

THE WORST
Eventually everyone wants to "prove" their respective point. One-off statistics and illustrations, much pseudoscientific babble, pet theories; all are trooped out to justify ones position... but few actually accept how someone looks at it WITHOUT needing to refute it.

Sooner or later veiled barbs and innuendo slip in, often regressing to some form of separitist elitism. In other words, it becomes "us against them."

THE BEST
I don't have the science or political background to sway anyones opinion to my way of thinking, so I refrain from trying. I only know what I think about the matter and wish to share it. Sometimes I learn from YOU what you think.

Me, personally, I don't care if you attribute emotion or feelings to the chickens in your life. Your choice. Ditto, letting them run the house or putting diapers on them. I don't do these things, for reasons that are my own.
If you want to, well okay. If I don't buy it, well, okay, too. That's the fun part of all this.

In essence, I avoid the whole of making comparisons between chickens and humans. It is only so much "sturm and drang" and I dont need more of that! I let them be chickens and feel that's enough - for them and me.