Do chickens feel sad when I take her eggs??

[karlamaria]

I beg to differ when there broody and my chicken gets terribly upset. She fights me when I take them. And she is one gentle sweet girl! Not all chickens are alike, I a, having a new coop built just for her when she goes broody so she can hatch a set. Nope we have no rooster, but she is broody so much I figured I would let her have a batch!

 

[CheekyChicky44]

Let’s put it this way, if you cracked it open they would eat it. I know they look and are slightly confused but I don’t think it really gets to them, not like losing a flock mate or anything.

 

[bluefeather2697]

broody-type hens will panic (based on my experience). but i take their eggs since it's a waste of effort to warm a dozen of unfertilized eggs.
but i think you'll not have any problem with non broody-type.

 

[BigRedNZ]

I've got one of my birds so proud of her eggs she always lets us know if ones arrived.

Each time we get an egg, I throw a small handful of wheat out for them.

Seems a fair trade. And Elsie (the noisy one) saves me a lot of wasted walks to the coup.

 

[NixNoodleNumbat]

One of my hens attacked me when I took her eggs. She was broody. She has a lot of personality, and I love her for it.
Some people are saying that chicken's emotions are just instinct and chemicals. Isn't that the same as humans?
I guess we'll never know for sure…

 

[humpbacks1962]

Quote:

AMEN

 

[humpbacks1962]

Quote:
Hormonal chemicals common to all who are split into male or female in their kind. There's even homosexuality among some birds!
Now anyone saying that chickens have no feelings or emotions, get off your high horse...

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
Chill first.

Then, re-read my post. You are arguing with yourself, because I never claimed chickens have human emotions.

But it IS illiterate to claim they are emotionless

Let me rephrase that...

Chickens do not have emotions LIKE humans. We humans are complex in our feelings toward other humans and animals. We perceive chickens to have emotions simply because WE are thinking that (we are actually "humanize" them in our language, not theirs). However the chicken may have other emotions and feelings of their OWN, that I can not prove or we simply don't know. What we do know is how the chicken respond in stimulus and the condition it was in. How do you know the chicken LOVES you and not anyone else? Did they say I love you in subtle manner that we failed to pick up? No one actually did any language study how chicken are feeling or having emotions.

Realistically, it would be like Eddie Murphy's Dr Doolittle movies that we all have animals talking to us humans. They just don't understand us and we don't understand them however we can figure out some things that they do is most likely what it fits their language.

I like eggdd's comment....that is the most honest answer we all can give "No one really knows". How true that is. We simply just don't know.

 

[galanie]

I say that since we can't communicate with chickens like we can with each other, how do we really know? Animal behaviorists used to claim dogs and cats were unable to have emotions too but have since learned they were wrong. I don't know if they do or not, but I like to pretend they don't. When it suits me.

 

[chickened]

On a more serious note... no, but if it makes you happy then yes as chickens cannot reason or think as we humans understand which is why we have dominion over animals and are charged with their care as stewards.