Do chickens feel love?

[Chickassan]

I don't know if it's love or just flock acceptance. My older chickens are much more accepting of me since they've seen me bring water and food every hour on the hour to Hubert the head roo when he was injured. Now he will even take food from my hand. Yesterday I moisturized Bea-Bea's comb with no objection whatsoever something that never would have happened a few months ago. I don't think they love me but I do think they've figured out im okay. The ones I've hatched figured out im okay from day one.So I'm not sure it's love but it is probably the nearest thing to it in the chicken world.

 

[chicklets81]

I absolutely love this question/thread! I was just thinking about my chickens, and how all of them seem to have their own level of love. I have a mixed age flock, but older ones that are most mature, will come *running!* up to me when I enter the back yard, and I have 3 barred rocks, 2 hens and 1 roo, who absolutely adore me. They will jump into my lap, and not get off. I put their heads on my shoulder like a baby, and they fall asleep!

Even the chickens that don't jump on my lap, love being right up next to me, but don't seem to want to be touched, but they want to be "present" with everyone else.

I definitely think they feel comfort, because that's how they create security in their coop. They know what feels safe, and unsafe. When they have learned that their coop is safe, and comfortable, they go back into their coop on their own. Without this comfort, they wouldn't. I could be wrong, at least that's what it appears to me. When a chicken is "scared", they run/scatter and find places to hide. (when predators attack...)

I've had a few times where a hawk came down, and they all scattered for hours, and wouldn't come out from hiding until night, when they finally came out of hiding and straight into coop for safety.

 

[TominWa]

I think its a sense of home. We are part of that home to them. Love, no, ....respect, certainly. Like, tolerate, dislike is probably about it. Not much different than us really when you think about it.

 

[mnmoliv2]

I have two chickens that I raised when they were just 3 days old. They are so attached to me that it becomes annoying. At night the two always try to sleep my shoulder and head and THEY WILL NOT MOVE. I love them dearly but sometimes it's a little dramatic. One did not leave my shoulder no matter how much I tried to move her. I literally had to call my friend up at the house to come save me.

 

[featherhead007]

YES they feel love! bet my life on it!

 

[Below frigid]

My hens were,all friendly with me until I got them a couple of roosters!

 

[featherhead007]

My hen is on my shoulder as I type this!

 

[micstrachan]

I’m not sure about love, but definitely emotion of some kind. I have seen Margo display both jealousy and empathy. She was jealous about me giving other chickens attention. I admit it’s possible that was a dominance thing. However, she sat shoulder to shoulder alongside a sick sister in the run when the gate was wide open and everyone else was free ranging. She also rooster down low with that same sick girl until the day she died. That night Margo was back up on the high roost.

 

[JurassicChicken]

I have seen my chickens display emotions like jealously, fear, excitement, etc., but I don't know about love. My girls definitely show excitement when they see me walking out to the chicken run, especially if they see something in my hands that might be a treat. We have a couple of folding chairs that we take out into the run, and the chickens always come sit around us when we spend time with them. I talk to my chickens and call them by name which usually makes them follow me around or sit at my feet if I am in my chair. I think they feel a kind of comfort when my wife or I spend time with them, but I don't know that that is love. They all come greet me when I enter their run, and one GL Wyandotte does the submissive squat until I rub her back and neck, then she fluffs and shakes her feathers in a sort of satisfied way, but she would not enjoy being picked up and petted. They each have their own personalities, and we enjoy watching all their antics. I don't know if they feel love, but I'm pretty sure they feel a sort of fondness towards us.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

I do believe so.Birds will accompany you and all sorts of stuff.