Chicken Myths/Rumors: True or False, Please Share!

[3KillerBs]

Roosters fight to the death.

Some do.

Some don't.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Some do.

Some don't.

Right. Almost always one will get the hint, give up and run for the hills. Some hang in there too long.
I haven't raised games so I can't say how determined they are, but most DP, egg and meat breeds will come to some understanding before death.

 

[Ginmary]

Myth: Smaller chickens are quieter because they don’t have the same lung capacity
Story: Read it on a chicken site somewhere
False (maybe to some degree true, like seramas vs much bigger chickens)

Evidence: Someone forgot to tell my silkies
I think it really depends on the individual chicken

That's how I ended up with a rooster even tho we shouldn't have him. We bought a trio of Seramas. The roo was barely bigger than a soda can. I thought, how bad could his crow be?

OY!!!!!!! Hearing him you'd think he was a Jersey Giant!

 

[Ginmary]

Another good thinker. I too had always heard that cedar shavings are toxic; use pine instead. Then I started reading that pine shavings are also toxic. I said to myself "whatever" and continued to use pine. But your question caused me to want to look that issue up too.

I read two articles that essentially said the same thing. Cedar shavings cause liver damage in mammals, but in birds the evidence is not as clear. I chose the article below to post since title of article is directly relevant to this thread.

https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/12...ar-shavings-toxic-to-chickens/comment-page-1/

Cedar shavings are bad for many small pets like rats and hamsters. Cedar gives off the scent from the cedar oil that can cause respiratory issues. It's not a stretch to think that it might not be good for chickens as well. Think about it: Cedar is used to make products like cedar chests and closet items meant to kill/repel moths and such.
Hold a handful of cedar shavings to your nose and do the same for pine.....BIG difference.

 

[troyer]

Cedar shavings are bad for many small pets like rats and hamsters. Cedar gives off the scent from the cedar oil that can cause respiratory issues. It's not a stretch to think that it might not be good for chickens as well. Think about it: Cedar is used to make products like cedar chests and closet items meant to kill/repel moths and such.
Hold a handful of cedar shavings to your nose and do the same for pine.....BIG difference.

I've had more respiratory/eye problems in my chicks with pine shaving than with cedar. The cedar was Eastern red cedar and the pine was a soft pine. Coincidence? I don't know.

I use a mix of bedding now. Soft wood pellets, chopped hay, chopped straw, shredded paper and a cedar pine mix. I will also use some chopped dried leaves and a bit of dry fine grass if it's available. Hardwood shavings have not worked well for me.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Not sure I've read this one yet, but:

Myth/Rumor: Chickens are stupid

Story: There was a news story some years ago online that said most people think chickens aren't the brightest knives in the drawer.

True or False: False!

Evidence: Chickens can count up to seven! I can't remember if they can navigate using the stars or not, but hey. I wouldn't be surprised if they can!

 

[troyer]

Not sure I've read this one yet, but:

Myth/Rumor: Chickens are stupid

Story: There was a news story some years ago online that said most people think chickens aren't the brightest knives in the drawer.

True or False: False!

Evidence: Chickens can count up to seven! I can't remember if they can navigate using the stars or not, but hey. I wouldn't be surprised if they can!

As far as intelligence in chickens, it makes a big difference whether they have been coddled for generations to keep them alive or whether they had opportunity to free range and escape from predators. Survivability can be bred for. In my mind survivability is translated as intelligent.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

As far as intelligence in chickens, it makes a big difference whether they have been coddled for generations to keep them alive or whether they had opportunity to free range and escape from predators. Survivability can be bred for. In my mind survivability is translated as intelligent.

Excellent point! I find chickens are going to be among the cockroaches and twinkies if the world survives the apocalypse, LOL! They have staying power, that's for sure

 

[Solanacae]

Cedar shavings are bad for many small pets like rats and hamsters. Cedar gives off the scent from the cedar oil that can cause respiratory issues. It's not a stretch to think that it might not be good for chickens as well. Think about it: Cedar is used to make products like cedar chests and closet items meant to kill/repel moths and such.
Hold a handful of cedar shavings to your nose and do the same for pine.....BIG difference.

I beg to differ, I like the smell of cedar. (I like the smell of pine too, for what it’s worth.) Because of the ability to repel moths, I think it could be helpful in repelling chicken pests like mites or lice. But then, the biology of a mite is very different from a moth, just like the biology of a chicken is very different from a rodent or human.

I haven’t ever tried it with chickens, since cedar shavings where I live are substantially more expensive than pine. I had rats when I was younger and used cedar shavings with no ill effects, they lived long (for a rat), happy lives.

What I’m trying to say is, there’s a big difference between anecdotal evidence/hearsay, and results from a correctly designed experiment. I’m pretty sure that most chicken sites on the internet are just repeating the things they read in other sites. In fact, I’ve read enough websites to recognize that the wording is remarkably similar . . . suspiciously “coincidentally” similar? Doubt it. Bloggers are looking for ideas and reading other websites, then changing up the order or wording so it’s not plagiarism.

As mentioned before, there’s one study that was done on the toxicity of cedar oil, but it was not done on chickens. Does that mean it’s safe? Maybe. Does that mean it’s unsafe? Maybe. Use at your own discretion and see how your birds do with it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We've just always used pine because it was what was avaliable and cheap