No Love

[Tati]

And aren't we glad we didn't fall victim to "natuerliche Auslese" (natural selection) or--worse--selective breeding (as favored by Hitler)!

Seriously, natural selection has ensured the survival of the physically strongest for millennia, but I think there are also other qualities in humans (and animals) than being physically strong. Mind you, this is a subject philosophers and wannabe philosophers have written many books about.

I personally would never discard a runt-of-the-litter animal, but I would not necessarily want to breed it. With humans, this issue is a bit more complicated. Yet renouncing hygiene is certainly not the answer.

So, let's cuddle our beloved chickens, cats, and dogs, and then, by all means, wash our hands before we touch our faces or handle food.

Btw, we have included in our Last Will that all our animals (27 cats, 2 dogs, and 8 chickens) are to be cared for as they are cared for now and that the chickens shall never be slaughtered. (We also no longer eat chicken and pork and only eat beef [with occasional exceptions in restaurants] of free-range cows, who, at least, had a happy, if short, life.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I never tame my chickens, but some still will attach themselves to me and want to know what I am doing, there is definitely a phase where your the boogeyman, and different breeds, different personalities, I think your problem is that you are trying, you have to ignore them than they will want to be by you. I don't cuddle with my chickens, but I'm sure I've ingested my fair share of poop by accident, so I have a pretty healthy immune system.

 

[Tati]

I think I should tell:

Three days ago we moved the 4 tamer ones of our 8 chickens from their winter residence to the just recently completed summer residence, with much more room to roam. They didn't appreciate being picked up and moved (one by one, in a pet carrier), but they were easy to catch and didn't give any trouble. As soon as they were set free in the new, grass-covered enclosure, they immediately showed that they were happy to be there.

The moving of the remaining 4 chickens, the following day, turned out differently. They were already suspicious about the absence of their 4 flock-mates, and they didn't even trust us when we offered them a corncob, their favorite treat. When we tried to catch them, they freaked out. Even though, my husband and I were very patient and tried to convince them that we were not going to do them any harm, any attempt to grab them caused them to go nuts, stirring up feathers and dust (not too good for me, who I am allergic to dust and feathers). After a long, long time, we finally got them all moved. And guess what! Only minutes after the last chicken had been transported, all the only just recently freaked-out shy ones, jumped onto my lap and flew onto my shoulders, picking at my hair and singing into my ears, as if to tell me: "I realize I was wrong. I now understand that you had no intention to slaughter me but just intended to take me to this beautiful place with grass, weed seeds, and tasty insects." We were stunned. Unfortunately, my husband didn't have access to my camera, which hang around my neck and wasn't reachable with 4 chickens crowding me. (And yes, they also pooped on my shoulder. )

Now we have 8 very happy chickens, who not only come to the fence whenever they see us (they also did this before while in their winter residence) but also sing to us, which is infallible proof of their happiness. We hope that the nice fall weather will last for a while. The coop of the summer-residence is only a small, non-insulated, converted rabbit housing, whereas the coop of the winter-residence is a well-insulated, roomy camping trailer.

 

[Tati]

@ shodack: Try grapes and corncobs. Chickens (like most people) can be bribed.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

I think I should tell:

And guess what! Only minutes after the last chicken had been transported, all the only just recently freaked-out shy ones, jumped onto my lap and flew onto my shoulders, picking at my hair and singing into my ears, as if to tell me: "I realize I was wrong. I now understand that you had no intention to slaughter me but just intended to take me to this beautiful place with grass, weed seeds, and tasty insects." We were stunned. Unfortunately, my husband didn't have access to my camera, which hang around my neck and wasn't reachable with 4 chickens crowding me. (And yes, they also pooped on my shoulder. )

Now we have 8 very happy chickens, who not only come to the fence whenever they see us (they also did this before while in their winter residence) but also sing to us, which is infallible proof of their happiness. We hope that the nice fall weather will last for a while. The coop of the summer-residence is only a small, non-insulated, converted rabbit housing, whereas the coop of the winter-residence is a well-insulated, roomy camping trailer.

That is a really interesting point about the singing. I had never thought about it this way before, but maybe one of the reasons people can feel so bonded to birds is that birds (even chickens!) sing to us, and I think we like to be sung to -- it is an expression of some kind of feeling, but it is also art, making something beautiful. Another way, I guess, that you can feel like your chickens love you even if they don't sit on your lap or let you pick them up!

 

[itsamyo]

My adult disabled son keeps our chickens. (high functioning autism+other stuff) It's magical, the way he has with animals, even feral cats, wild birds, etc. Regarding dogs: We have a PitBull we rescued. She's an avid huntress, going after mice, rats, cats, etc. When we got the chicks, my son insisted on socializing our dog with them. I thought,"This is a BAD idea". AnnaBelle would shake & whine like crazy when around the chicks but my son gently & firmly controlled her, including her many times a day while caring for & checking on them. His diligence paid off. The chooks are free range (in at night) & they & AnnaBelle are great girlfriends, traveling the property together, basking in the sun, sitting on her. She really looks after them & kills rats & mice, & she chases Eagle, hawk, etc. that swoop around the chickens. I think this is amazing. Does anyone else have this sort of situation?

I want to add that, even though the chooks are not afraid of me, they don't care for me to reach for them. But, my son, that's a different story. He's like the pigeon lady in the park. They hop up on his head & shoulders & follow him everywhere.

 

[souriasia]

MEALWORMS. Every chicken big or small, as long as it has a beak, will be your best bud for mealworms

Yep, I have some, and people have mentioned shaking the bag, and someone earlier in this thread mentioned using a red cup for treats. I do shake the bag, and the red cup sounds like a good idea. I may have to get me one. And I call the same way every time -- chick-chick-chick!

You know, though -- as much as my one mature hen Costanza loves meal worms, she loves bread and crackers even more. Funny, huh? If I have a sandwich I always tear the crusts off and save them for her. Nothing makes her purr and make happy sounds like bread crusts. She's so funny -- she will talk with her mouth full while eating them and her voice actually gets muffled while she does it. So cute.

 

[Tati]

@ Ballerina Bird: Chickens sing when they are happy. And when they clearly sing to us, such as into our ears, we have reason to assume that this is some kind of a love serenade.

 

[Tati]

@ souriasia: There is no way our chickens will ever get mealworms from me. They are so disgusting.

One little anecdote: When I was 13 years old, I found a young sparrow on the street (in the middle of Munich). It must have been hatched on a rooftop. There were no trees anywhere nearby. The little birdie didn't eat. So my mother followed someone's advice and bought mealworms, even though we found them very repulsive. The little birdie, however, was even more appalled by them than we were. It turned away in disgust. (Unfortunately, it didn't eat anything else either. So it died.)

 

[shortgrass]

@ Ballerina Bird:  Chickens sing when they are happy. And when they clearly sing to us, such as into our ears, we have reason to assume that this is some kind of a love serenade. 

I can totally believe that lol... Mine talk ALOT. Especially the BRs, they follow me and click at me in the garden, asking, "whatcha doing?" Lol... I have a bunch of chicks in a separate coop, and the Anconas don't like the intrusion; yesterday a horrible racket coming from coop #2.. I peek in and shes standing on the counter SCREAMING at the chicks all on the floor! 15 minutes of that and the chicks finally went outside and she knocked it off lol; they not only sing but they can yell like no other