- Aug 28, 2013
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Scrapperval, I have absolutely no idea what the grey girls are. All I knew was that I thought they were gorgeous. The woman I bought them from said they had silkie in them, but that's all I remember. The first thing I thought when I saw them is that crossing them with my Swedish Flower Hen roo would make BEAUTIFUL chicks!
As for emotions and chickens... I don't attribute emotions that are exactly humanistic to any animal, but I don't totally discount a full range of emotion from any animal, either. Humans tend to want to believe that animals don't feel emotions, or feel them to a significantly lesser degree, but to me it seems that we convince ourselves of that because it's what we want to believe in the absence of their ability to prove any different to us. Just because they don't express emotions the same way is no proof they don't have them.
Throughout the history of man there have been societies that have practiced the culling of infants for certain genders or traits, or that have practiced cannibalism. Having what we deem as completely unacceptable social practices didn't mean those societies didn't have the same emotions we do, it just meant they were accustomed to different practices and attached their emotions to them in ways we are uncomfortable with. Animals have practices they have evolved that most humans would be appalled at the idea of using, but that doesn't preclude them from having emotions.
It wasn't that long ago in our own history that the argument was made that people of a different color or faith didn't feel emotion or pain the same way as another, and in some areas of the world it's still being used for the sake of war and genocide. It's difficult for civilized society to balance out the concept of causing pain and death for the sake of our own advancement without rationalizing away the potential trauma we could be causing. It's also difficult to kill and eat a creature if you're wondering how they feel about it.
As for emotions and chickens... I don't attribute emotions that are exactly humanistic to any animal, but I don't totally discount a full range of emotion from any animal, either. Humans tend to want to believe that animals don't feel emotions, or feel them to a significantly lesser degree, but to me it seems that we convince ourselves of that because it's what we want to believe in the absence of their ability to prove any different to us. Just because they don't express emotions the same way is no proof they don't have them.
Throughout the history of man there have been societies that have practiced the culling of infants for certain genders or traits, or that have practiced cannibalism. Having what we deem as completely unacceptable social practices didn't mean those societies didn't have the same emotions we do, it just meant they were accustomed to different practices and attached their emotions to them in ways we are uncomfortable with. Animals have practices they have evolved that most humans would be appalled at the idea of using, but that doesn't preclude them from having emotions.
It wasn't that long ago in our own history that the argument was made that people of a different color or faith didn't feel emotion or pain the same way as another, and in some areas of the world it's still being used for the sake of war and genocide. It's difficult for civilized society to balance out the concept of causing pain and death for the sake of our own advancement without rationalizing away the potential trauma we could be causing. It's also difficult to kill and eat a creature if you're wondering how they feel about it.
Just got home about an hour ago and my chickens have been decimated!! 
