The chicken and horse connection

[sally4500]

Very interesting info. I am glad I posted. Sometimes I see pics of chickens sitting on a horse's back. Who knows, maybe next I'll see her roosting on his back!

 

[rcentner]

I wonder...the flies are always at the horses eyes, will the chicken keep that under control?

 

[cjatthefarm]

Quote:
......ah, probably not. But a good fly mask will. It will also prevent the nasty diseases flies carry from the horses eyes......

I'm just sayin'.

 

[sally4500]

Wow, that would be really cool. She could follow him around and eat the bugs by his face so he wouldn't have to wear that sweaty fly mask. And then he could reward her by sharing his piece of corn on the cob that he gets for a treat. They could work as a team.
I think I'm onto something here......

 

[allpeepedout]

Last year, a lost peacock hung out for two or three weeks with my horses. I didnt' see him loitering and hunting around their heads like the smaller birds do, but it seemed to be a social act, needing to be part of a flock, or perhaps he was raised on a farm with horses. He did me the kindness of molting on my property but it took the horses a couple of days to get "peacock-broke"!

 

[wren]

Chickens love kicking through piles of horse poo!

 

[Anianna]

My daughter's riding instructor had a small flock of guinea fowl and chickens, but a predator got them and she was left with only one of each. The chicken doesn't seem to mind, but the guinea hen was lonely and became very attached to one of her "beginner" horses. The guinea hen is always with that horse in the field and in the coral, but when the horse is taken into the ring for riding lessons, she climbs up on vehicles calling loudly to get her horse back. She has no interest whatsoever in the myriad of other horses on the farm, nor any other animal at all. That poor bird is in just a fit until they put her horse away.

 

[enola]

My mare doesn't mind a chicken companion or two.

But, she will kill a chicken that tries to share her grain

She stomps them if they try to eat with her.

 

[mtngrl812]

the chickens, and other birds, are usually watching and waiting for the horses to stir up bugs and pull up a worm or two. Horses will graze through a patch of grass or weeds that have quite a few bugs in it and the chickens can catch what stirs up, then there are the bugs around the horses face they catch when opportunity presents itself. The disturbed ground may offer a worm or two. And once horses are accustom to chickens they offer some company and another set of eyes to watch for "monsters". Horses always seem to think there are "monsters" somewhere. And chances are, chickens know they are safer staying close to large veggie eating animals, because the chance of a cat or dog type predator coming around is somewhat reduced.

I do think they bond at times too. Many odd couples are formed by animals, did you ever see the clip about the elephant and the dog? That was great

I think chickens, or guineas, don't realize there is an entire horse there, they may think the legs and head are all separate animals, in which case they have an entire flock to hang out with. You never know what all goes through a poultry brain, but I think the instinct to forage beside a large ground disturbing animal runs deep in their little brains and they know a meal will be turned up. Horses can stir up everything from spiders, ticks, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, moths, to small lizards and rodents..... all kinds of snacks.

Maybe the horses like the soft chirping and cooing the chickens do too.

 

[Moonkit]

Quote:
They're called cattle egrets.. and yeah, they're there for an easy lunch of any bugs stirred up by the grazers. I always did find it interesting to see other animals used to calm high strung horses.. everything from cats, chickens, dogs, goats, donkeys to even another horse.