Can chickens be affectionate

[Poultry4U]

I was wondering if chickens were lovable It's just a question.

sincerely,
Elijah

 

[Easter Bunny]

I love my chickens so I do think they are loveable. Do they reciprocate? Probably not. I have trained them to come to me when I shake a can of bird seed to they are at least that smart…
J

 

[SgtPepper]

I don't think they have the same emotional attachment to us as we do to them, but I think they feel ummm...comfy around us. I have a white plymouth rock who was very sick as a chick, thought we were going to lose her, so she was held A LOT and lived in the house for a long time. And now, there are times when she'll come look for us and sit next to us. And I swear they all know their names and will come when called. Could be just that they know we usually have some kind of food for them, of course, but I'm going with it's because they love us.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

My chickens DO seek out human contact. They do love us.

Even our flightier breeds enjoy sitting down in the grass near me, and just enjoy my company.

 

[annewandering]

When we moved our oldest chicks, 5 weeks, out into their new coop, the brave one that liked to jump up on the brooder edge seemed to feel insecure. She came and sat on some hay up by my side and seemed comforted to be near me.
I dont know if that is affection but it did seem that there was some emotional security to my presence. I see them be curious, angry, and other emotions. Why not affection?

 

[haylee]

I so believe that chickens can be affectionate, I think that all living things can, even plants. Call me crazy!

My favorite chicken, Antoine, always comes running after me around the yard, and she used to jump out of the brooder and fly over to me when I was filling the feeder, water, or cleaning up. She has also jumped up on my lap when the cat was hanging around in the yard one time. I think maybe it's the security they feel when they're around you, but the world may never really know, right?

 

[UrbanChickenBoy]

I'm sure they could be.

 

[Ginam]

Absolutely- When I sit down in the grass in our yard two of the older chickens will always come up behind me- one on one side, one on the other. I gently scratch them under their wings and they make cooing sounds and close their eyes and lay down. Sometimes before they cuddle up they will gently wipe their beeks on me. I don't know what this means, but it preceeds every cuddle session. Every single time I sit on the lawn they do this- when I try it with the other chickens they seem uninterested. These two are very affectionate compared to the others. It is amazing!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Chickens are like most things, the more time you put into them the greater the returns. I have a little bearded silkie that presents to me every time I enter the pen. No matter how much of a hurry I'm in, I stop stroke her and give her praise, it seems to make her happy.

 

[bdjh]

Up until two weeks ago, I would have said No, chickens are about as affectionate as lizards......more brain stem function than anything else.

But, we got two additional chickens to add to the 5 we had, one of which was an approximately 12-14 week old dutch leghorn. She was raised in the same yard as the others we have, but is a completely different chicken.

Our original group will let you get to within 2 or 3 feet of them, but as soon as you reach out to pick them up, they scatter.

If they're loose, they won't come any closer to you than their random walking patterns will bring them.

This little one, however, follows us around the yard like a puppy! She'll snuggle in your lap and go to sleep, perch on your shoulder like a pirate's parrot, and walks right up to us whenever we open the coop, waiting to be picked up and carried around.

It's bizarre.....I NEVER would have expected this behaviour from a chicken.

Is it affection? I'm not sure, but she definitely prefers to be near us, than away from us.

It makes the rest of them look like a bunch of rude snobs.