Chicken Affection?

[ILoveDaffy]

 

[bcorps]

Yesterday, the sweetest thing happened (I feel like I'm gonna lose my man card for even talking about it). I was sitting next to them, letting them free range a bit. I was giving them some black fly larva, and of course my roosters, aka "feathered pigs", had jumped up and were stomping all over my lap, and making that eager "begging" noise. I had expected that. What I didn't expect was that my smallest hen "Little Miss" would jump up, and force her way in between them.

At that point, 3 chickens in my lap was getting to be a bit much, so I stretched my arm out, removing the bowl from their reach. Naturally, the two roosters, miraculously lost their love for me, and soon jumped down. I set the bowl on the edge of my garden so I could have both hands open.

What Little Miss did shocked me. Turns out she wasn't up there for the food. She basically jumped up on my chest, and forced herself under my chin and got on my shoulder, pressing against my cheek. I put one hand up there and started petting her, and she was just loving it. She stayed up there for a good 10 minutes, before I decided I didn't want to get pooed on and I gently moved her back down to my lap.

What got into her?! It was starting to get towards bed time, so do you think maybe she was doing roosting behavior, with the frantic snuggling?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

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My chickens don't preen each other but the often have cuddle puddles. They make friends and stick extra close to them. Where one friend goes the other follows and they chatter constantly and share food with pals and back them up in fights. They form cliques and when one of them moves the rest start to move also. They're definitely affectionate, just not in the way parrots are.

What are those bottom girls? They're beautiful

 

[ChocolateMouse]

What are those bottom girls? They're beautiful

They're wheaten ameraucanas and wheaten ameraucana/production red mixes. They're about 12 weeks in that photo I think?

Here's a picture of some from the same hatch, all grown up and laying eggs.