What if there was a magic potion to get our chickens to love us?

[azygous]

It's been on my mind for some time this question of what bonds our chickens to us, and why some are such love junkies and others wouldn't miss us at all as long as food continues to appear. Love, affection, and bonding seem to miraculously happen between humans and between us and our animals. But there is something biological that happens to help these pleasant emotions along. It's a hormone called oxytocin, and our chickens have a variation of it called mesotocin. I've been wanting to explore how this hormone might be stimulated during our interactions with our chickens. It might explain how some chickens become as affectionate and demanding of affection as our dogs and cats.

I take a deep dive into the topic here in my new article on BYC . https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ding-agent-between-us-and-our-chickens.78307/

What do you think? Could this be the magic potion?

 

[Mrs. K]

I would think the mesotocin must rise rapidly, caused by the movement of the live chicks under a broody hen, but within 3-4 weeks, she forgets her chicks, so it must fall rapidly too.

I really don’t find my chickens affectionate to me. I did play with a flock to a point that they would jump on my lap, but really didn’t care for it, I find I would rather just watch them.

While certain chickens tend to hang together, they do not seem very bothered if one is suddenly gone.

I wonder if the level is pretty low most of the time?

 

[centrarchid]

Mine can get "affectionate" as in very tolerant of close contact and seeking me out. Even adults can do it. I doubt it is a natural behavior, rather it is enabled by the stimuli we can provide through close proximity.

I can create similar and decidedly unnatural interaction in some types of fish.

 

[NagemTX]

I have a few that seem affectionate and want to be held. But I think it came about because the hens where smart and learned that the juvenile roosters would stop chasing them if they where around my legs or better yet in my arms.

 

[azygous]

For oxytocin to have a full effect, the brain has to have receptors for the hormone which may not be as numerous in some individuals, both human and non-human. Therefore, "your mileage may differ".

@centrarchid I have watched people interact with their koi fish just as we do with our chickens and other pets.

 

[centrarchid]

For oxytocin to have a full effect, the brain has to have receptors for the hormone which may not be as numerous in some individuals, both human and non-human. Therefore, "your mileage may differ".

@centrarchid I have watched people interact with their koi fish just as we do with our chickens and other pets.

I’ll explain after night of sleep

 

[nuthatched]

I use the magic potion called ' handful of shredded cheese', guaranteed to work for atleast 5 minutes.

 

[NagemTX]

Lol, cat food and black soldier fly larva. Shake anything that rattles and they love you for well just long enough.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I don't seem to keep chickens long enough to want them to love me lol. If they let me handle them when necessary I am happy. Occasionally I've had super friendly chickens but one per flock is plenty for me. Right now I have two Delawares that are love bugs. I have no idea how that happened. They were like that from the get-go

 

[centrarchid]

On the chicken side, what I see as interspecies affection is where they willingly approach and settle with a wing in contact with me. This can include the bird settling physically on me. My fully adult roosters and hens are capable of this.

On the fish side, the affection is not directed towards me, rather offspring. I breed sunfishes. Normally, with the exception of black basses (genus Micropterus), once the young leave nest the father has no interaction with them other than to possibly eat them. When confined, where young cannot leave vicinity of father, for some reason the father does not eat them, and I can raise them together and until young are adults.