Can chickens mourn?

[Flocking]

Hello! I have a flock of 18 (2 Rhode Island Red roos, 3 mottled duccle roos, 9 Cochin hens, 2 silkies one male one unidentified... An old English roo, and a sweet hen names Peaches, who is a Mille Fleur Duccle.) this is my first flock and I can easily say I love them!

Sadly, lately my 19th chicken died... She was at the bottom of the pecking order and was a young Cochin hen. She has a very sad death (one of the roof supports had fallen on top of her... I hope it was a fast death) and when I went to check on the flock it took me by shock. It wasn't easy, but the chicks showed no sign of sadness... They were actually pecking her which slightly disturbed me. I got the flock when they were 2-5 weeks old on June 5th, so they're still quite young.

Getting to the point, can chickens mourn? And is there a way if I can tell if they mourn or not? I feel so horrible knowing that the poor thing died... Thanks in advance!

 

[sunflour]

When my flock were young, I posted a comment that I thought they demonstrated jealousy. An experienced flock member advised me that they do not show human emotion. The post angered me, but with more experience, I know he was exactly right. Exeption is when treats are anticipated.

As much as we would like to believe they do have similar emotions to us, I am convinced that they do not. IMO it is a survival instinct that prohibits human emotions. A happy flock raised together will turn on one of their own if they see weakness or illness, and obviously death. Don't blame the remaining flock, it is nature over which no one has control.

So sorry about your loss. I have lost 2 of my small flock of 6 this year and it is devastating no matter the cause.

 

[centrarchid]

They appear to have issues that I interpret as morning. Whenever the social structure changes is takes them a bit to adapt and during that period they seem confused. Examples of change include the following:

Hen loosing a brood of chicks of clutch of eggs

Rooster loosing territory

Rooster loosing all of his his hens

Mother or harem master


Loosing higher ranking flockmates but no lower.

 

[Blooie]

I am so sorry that happened to you and your flock. I think you have more to worry about with your emotions than you do the chickens'. They simply want to survive, so they notice changes in their surroundings and flockmates but I don't believe they actually mourn. Their pecking order now has a gap in it, and another bird will become lowest in the order, but they rarely notice one missing past the event. We had 22, culled 3 roosters, and lost a hen, all within the span of a couple of weeks. The other chickens noticed nothing except more room on the roosts.

 

[centrarchid]

I think not noticing emotional stress comes from a lack of close observations. This comes from someone that used to fight chickens.

 

[enola]

I have witnessed a deceased chicken's closest chicken friend looking for her. But, it was not in a mourning way, more like they were simply looking for her. The pecking order seemed to be more important than finding their chicken friend.

 

[Flocking]

Thanks so much for 3 replies already! All great answers and all greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

 

[Pine Woods Place]

Totally disagree. I had (seven total), but five original pullets. 2 got taken by a coyote and the remaining 3 originals called out to them for 2 full days. My daughter happened to be over the first night and witnessed it for herself, telling me that might be the saddest thing she'd ever seen. The other 2, that were the outsiders and lowest in pecking order.. They celebrated. It totally changed their whole personality. I joked I could practically hear them singing "ding dong the witch is dead". None of the "sadness or glee" lasted long, but mine absolutely mourned and reacted immediately.

 

[donrae]

Not to sound harsh, but even if they do (and I don't believe the do), what would you do about it? Get them counseling? Put them on antidepressants? It's kind of a moot point.

I'm of the opinion that prey animals are used to flock/herd members vanishing. Yep, they don't like change, and a missing member is a change. it may also mean they're in danger, so they can act different until they realize they're safe.

 

[enola]

There is a lot of difference between missing a dead flock mate and mourning a dead flock mate. My hens wandered around for a couple of days like they were looking for something. I am sure they missed their flock mate. But, mourning lasts a lot longer than a couple of days. Chickens are just not emotionally equipped to miss their flock mate for an extended period of time, which is what mourning is.