Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Windrider]

So here I am trying to read the article after a bit of wine and I'm stuck on the loss of enamel. It seems to me the composition of beak is still different than teeth even with that loss. Again...I've had wine so my comprehension is a little...less...

Ha, ha... I am sitting here with a margarita, so maybe I shouldn't laugh.

Beaks are made of keratin, like your fingernails. Beaks are probably modified scales, as are claws.

 

[MaryJanet]

Channeling Switzerland? Clever bird!

There's a speech pattern heard among the older women of my neighbourhood and it goes like this, "She said... And so I said... And then she said ... So I said... Then he said... So I said..."

I like to imagine that's the pattern in the hens pecking. Who pecked who, for what purpose, and when. Faithfully retold in great detail and with a deep respect for nuance.

 

[Lady Red]

Ha, ha... I am sitting here with a margarita, so maybe I shouldn't laugh.

Beaks are made of keratin, like your fingernails. Beaks are probably modified scales, as are claws.

Yesssss!
1. Teeth are dentin and whatever and enamel
2. You are my people!

 

[Windrider]

That was an interesting read. I was surprised there was no mention of development of the gizzard. Presumably developing a muscular organ and a habit of swallowing stones would have accompanied loss of teeth.

Many fossil dinosaurs are found with gizzard stones, and crocodiles and alligators (and I think turtles?) have gizzards, so having a gizzard predates the loss of teeth.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yesssss!
1. Teeth are dentin and whatever and enamel
2. You are my people!

I think that is why when the article said they were two separate events that happened at the same time it made sense to me.
As a keratin beak develops, then teeth become less useful and develop less. As teeth develop less a really good beak become even more important.
It isn’t that the teeth morphed into beaks. More like the teeth faded into the background and the beaks took center stage.

 

[BY Bob]

I don't because I've seen to many mean RIRs & NHs & I have too many weird chickens to deliberately choose breeds with a reputation for aggressiveness. Yes, each chicken is an individual but I prefer to err on the side of caution. I don't have any mean chickens amongst my present lot & it's wonderful!

 

[RoyalChick]

Many fossil dinosaurs are found with gizzard stones, and crocodiles and alligators (and I think turtles?) have gizzards, so having a gizzard predates the loss of teeth.

Interesting. Then I can totally see why teeth might have become less useful as beaks developed.

 

[Lady Red]

I think that is why when the article said they were two separate events that happened at the same time it made sense to me.
As a keratin beak develops teeth become less useful and develop less. As teeth develop less a really good beak become even more important.
It isn’t that the teeth morphed into beaks. More like the teeth faded into the background and the beaks took center stage.

Obviously someone isn't on the sauce like me

 

[Windrider]

There's a speech pattern heard among the older women of my neighbourhood and it goes like this, "She said... And so I said... And then she said ... So I said... Then he said... So I said..."

I like to imagine that's the pattern in the hens pecking. Who pecked who, for what purpose, and when. Faithfully retold in great detail and with a deep respect for nuance.

I'm going to drop this link right here, because it relates so perfectly:

 

[BY Bob]

I know you don't. We'll have to disagree on this one. I would be very curious to see a study on how the keeper influences flock behaviour though. I wonder if anyone's done one.

Wow! Another shot at me.