Does your chicken love you?

[Bittybird]

I’m with MissChick@dee . I have a special chicken named momma and I can positively tell you that she loves me. My husband will 100% back me up on that as well as my mom and sister . We are all neighbors and they see mommas behavior on a daily basis . She follows me around every where I go and if she can’t find me she runs all over looking for me. No matter where she’s at she can hear me pull in the driveway amd runs to my truck - when I open the door she jumps in and stands on the floor board for the ride up the driveway til I park! People might think I’m nuts but hey that’s fine with me.. I’m not imagining that my chicken loves me i know she does ..I see it in her actions everyday and I love her just the same !

 

[MROO]

Love? I don't know if I'd call it "love" or not, but when an animal trusts you to the extent that it will seek out your company, whether or not you have food, there's definitely something special there. Definitions and technical notations aside, that desire to be close to another being is more than just a "flock/herd/pack mentality." If it were just that, all of our animals would show it. Since they don't, and the bond generally goes both ways, then it's somehow more personal. Whether you choose to call it love, or not, is up to the individual. No matter how you define the concept, enjoying and encouraging it is well worth the effort. Go for it!

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

Hey guys...

You know how some people say "cats don't really love you, they just want to be fed, ect."? But I, as a lifetime cat owner/lover know differently. When my cat cuddles with me, making biscuits and looking up at me with that slow blink cat lovers call a "kitty kiss" and will happily leave his food when he hears me come home because MOMMA IS HOME!!! Then I know differently. He loves me and I adore him right back. He and I are strongly bonded and have been for 13 years now.
Ok, so...
We are GOING to keep chickens as soon as we move and have a new home/yard with room for chickies. I admire them; I know that lots of people say they can be affectionate, sit on your lap, enjoy being petted, etc. But we have never (yet) actually HAD chickens.

So could those of you who have, tell me... I'm sure they can feel something for a familiar person, but...how do you say what they feel? Do you think/feel that they actually feel strong affection or love, or is it just familiarity for someone who brings food or treats? If you feel that your chicken really loves you - what makes you think that? After all, we as a species are primates, so our 'signature' behaviors (hugging, kissing, staring deeply into each others' eyes, and so on) are not necessarily what a non-primate would exhibit or understand. And I struggle not to anthropomorphise the behavior of other species. So - what do you think?

Chickens do love. They feel other things as well.
I used to have a Silkie named Nipper. SHe was protective over me, and would chase after me and walk by me even when I didn't have food.
Then one day she died : (
And for almost three weeks after that, the other three chickens were very sad.

So yes, they do love.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Not verbiage....philosophy!
Which along with religion and politics we could debate for days on end.

Words chosen. Thanks for the spell check!!

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

Oh...Absolutely!!! And they’ll seek it out. Coo when they’re happy and respond to you. It’s so subtle if I’m holding Judy she makes little clucks that is just in her chest (kinda hard to describe) she makes eye contact and does that little almost like regurgitating beak smack thingie they do. Then lays her full weight against me.

Yes, my Sephora does that for me too!
SHe sqaaut for me to pick up then I'll sit with her, she cluck really quietly, smack her beak, and lay in my lap. She normally covers my hands with her wings as well.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Some will never experience a bond of any kind with chickens. Why? If you don’t invest you’ll never receive. Some say my chickens only see me as a walking feed bag. Why? Because that’s all they ever are. Every body keeps their chickens in different ways for different reasons. Can’t judge it is what it is. I just think some people are missing out.

 

[FnWeirdo]

i only felt " love" from one chicken and i call her sweetie.
she is a new hampshire red hen, and follows me around everywhere. she does funny things cause she always wants me to pick her up or pet her.
when i let them out in the morning, she follows me around as i fill the water toss some feed check for eggs and ect. all the other chickens start snacking away and drinking but not sweetie. she's too busy trying to get my attention. she will run to me and if i stand in place for a few moments she rubs against my leg like a cat does and makes a funny little noise as she does it. if i pick her up and scratch her head she literally does a purring sound. mind you i dont like cats so this weirded me out a little lol. if i do not give her attention before i leave the run she marshes to the fence and will stare at me. i caught her standing next to the fence for over an hour before just waiting for me. i finally came back out cause i was worried she didn't eat or drink anything yet ( i can watch my chickens from a window)... gave her a head scratching and told her to go eat and off she went happy as a clam. lesson learned sweetie refuses to eat if i come in the run and dont give her some human attention. she doesn't do this for every human just me. cracks me up.
so id say yes chickens can develop affection not just " i love the food and they bring the food"

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

If you don’t invest you’ll never receive. Some say my chickens only see me as a walking feed bag.

Mealworms and food help them trust you, not love you.

 

[1cock2hens]

Some will never experience a bond of any kind with chickens. Why? If you don’t invest you’ll never receive. Some say my chickens only see me as a walking feed bag. Why? Because that’s all they ever are. Every body keeps their chickens in different ways for different reasons. Can’t judge it is what it is. I just think some people are missing out.

I dont think the debate about animal's having feelings has anything to do with having a bond with a chicken/ other animal

My hens come to me when called, some by name. they dont mind at all when I pick them up to look them over, when there is a predator attack they run to me or they hide under/on my porch by my front door looking for me, I see there bonded to me and that they look to me for care since there roosters are in pens but I would never call that love. I enjoy them don't get me wrong, I really appreciate there existence in my life and I do get sad if something happens to them, I do care for them.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I dont think the debate about animal's having feelings has anything to do with having a bond with a chicken/ other animal

My hens come to me when called, some by name. they dont mind at all when I pick them up to look them over, when there is a predator attack they run to me or they hide under/on my porch by my front door looking for me, I see there bonded to me and that they look to me for care since there roosters are in pens but I would never call that love. I enjoy them don't get me wrong, I really appreciate there existence in my life and I do get sad if something happens to them, I do care for them.

Nope...doesn’t sound like love to me either