Chickens of the Rainbow

[RAWR]

lol that might also explan why all the feeders and water things i've seen was red
lol

 

[Ladyhawke1]

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Birds and primates see in color.

 

[birdnutz]

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I've read that this is the way parrots can tell the sex of another parrot.

 

[Nicola]

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my australorp doesnt like my black nail polish LOL

 

[RAWR]

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I've read that this is the way parrots can tell the sex of another parrot.

thats crazy lol

 

[Atlchick]

When going out to the pen, I have to wear 'socks' now, because if I'm in my flip-flops my chickens attack my red toe-nails. Owee!

 

[AmyRey]

If they like to peck at red, why don't they attack each other's wattles and combs?

 

[silkieluver_07]

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Sometimes chicks will. They'll grab ahold of their momma's wattles and won't let go.

I've seen it with my own eyes!

 

[marymac]

If they didn't see in color the roosters wouldn't be so colorful. I always read that animals that are colorful see in color, otherwise they would be drab colored.

 

[GoldenSilverLaced]

Chickens have 4 different photoreceptors, allowing them to see a relatively wide spectrum of light. The also apparently have a poorer spatial acuity than humans.

http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/202/21/2951.pdf

Parrots also have 4 photoreceptors (probably very highly similar in structure, if not the same) and can see into the UV region. Parakeets, at least, have fluorescent feathers on their faces, which other parakeets can detect. The fluorescence is related to the health of the bird (it results from a vitamin D derivative, I think...when the birds are exposed to sunlight, a substance on their feathers (from the tail gland, that they spread on their feather when preening) produces vitamin D). The more fluorescence, the more sunlight the bird has been exposed to...and the healthier the bird, at least in the eyes of other birds.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5552/92
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;296/5568/655b