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

[azygous]

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.

Interesting how the male parent fish is so sporting as not to eat his young if their avenue of escape is cut off, but if escape is an option, then all bets are off. You have some very interesting science experiments going on at any given time.

The description of your chicken's display of affectionate intentions is also interesting. That they signal with a wing to make contact s especially good information.

When my hens who enjoy affectionate interaction wish to be picked up and held, they signal this by approaching me head on, plant themselves as close as possible to me and then rake the ground or my leg with a foot until I pick them up. Once in my arms, it is almost never their choice to interrupt this interaction, rather mine. I'm human, after all, and have better things to do than cooing and snuggling with a chicken. (Just kidding. I could do it all day if someone would do my chores.)

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I have read that some birds use eye pinning as a sign of affection.

 

[Lexicon]

I have often pondered why the only hens that choose to jump on my lap and are generally fine with being touched are the same four who go broody every summer. Could this be related?

The two who absolutely hate being touched (and I try to respect that) are also the only two of my ten hen flock that don't squat.

 

[azygous]

I have often pondered why the only hens that choose to jump on my lap and are generally fine with being touched are the same four who go broody every summer. Could this be related?

The two who absolutely hate being touched (and I try to respect that) are also the only two of my ten hen flock that don't squat.

This is important information. It may indicate a relationship between mesotocin and estrogen. Also, it looks like broody hens have more receptors for mesotocin than other hens.

Someday, a scientist will take this information and do blood tests, and then we'll see this information come together.

All my broodies have been affectionate or at least approachable with one exception. I had a Golden-laced Wyandotte fourteen years ago named Irene. She was a violent psychopath, and even worse when broody. She hated me with every cell in her body every minute of her life. Her existence greatly hampers my hypothesis on mesotosin.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I have read that some birds use eye pinning as a sign of affection.

I needed to go look up the term "chicken eye pinning" That is very interesting. I noticed soon after getting chickens that I could read most all their thoughts and emotions in their expresssive eyes, whether they are looking at me or not. And many (mostly hens but also a few roosters) will maintain eye contact with me for a considerable amount of time, often for as long as I maintain eye contact with Them. These individuals always come very close to me before they make obvious eye contact. (This has nothing to do with treats; I am well aware that all the hens that come running when I throw treats, then quickly turn and leave when the treats are gone, don't love me.) I've always seen a friendly, somewhat quizzical expression in the eyes of my most friendly chickens, but I feel sure they are also eye pinning while looking at me. I plan to pay close attention to that now. I think I will see it a lot. Are birds that are eye pinning their humans simultaneously producing mesotocin? My guess is "Yes they are." This article includes a video that shows a parrot eye-pinnning.
https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/chicken-eye-pinning?format=amp

I have often pondered why the only hens that choose to jump on my lap and are generally fine with being touched are the same four who go broody every summer. Could this be related?

I have observed somewhat the opposite effect. I.e. many of my most affectionate hens do Not go broody. And the majority my broody hens are somewhat aloof with me. I've always wondered about that.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I have observed somewhat the opposite effect. I.e. many of my most affectionate hens do Not go broody. And the majority my broody hens are somewhat aloof with me. I've always wondered about that.

Same here! I have had three go broody. The two successful hatches were my least friendly girls!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I often pondered the broody bit. I have had only 1 single flock of 5 hens for 2 years. Not one has gone broody and i think to myself, the way they bolt from the run when we do free range; even if some hen wanted to be broody, she couldnt help herself from bolting to go free range! Yey! Its like a bunch of gals going to their favorite place! Who would want to hang out in the nest all day, lol. Just silly thoughts I have thought about.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

On a very UN-scientific note…
I am a QHHT, Hypnosis practitioner, and questions about chickens have arisen and have been answered in the life between life part of the session as well as the contact with “higher self” part. One of the statements, in a condensed version:
“We all start out as “dots,” A long explanation of what “dots” were ensued, but I will leave that part out. “We are given different feelings and in different amounts. I don’t feel like I could control of the feelings I was given. We are given different feelings than Chickens, but sometimes we are given similar ones, but in differing amounts. So humans can actually have some chicken feelings and vice versa.”

Another experience was when I had my own session and I was “shown” what my chickens feel for me. And I could have cried! It was a feeling just below my heart, (my husband said it was the stomach! ) and it was some thing I had never felt before. It was beautiful and comforting. You could not call it love, but whatever it was, was just as amazing as what we call love. I assumed it was one of those feelings that I don’t have but that chickens are given.

Another thing expressed in sessions is that animals are here for us to give us joy.

I have created my own crazy idea that there is a space in every pet that is left vacant, though not empty, that can be filled with a humans love. When that takes place, some pets are then able to feel this feeling I was shown. It would, of course, depend on whether they were created with the option to have this feeling or not. I believe this is why some animals feel this way towards us and others do not!

If anyone wants a session where we can ask everything imaginable about chickens, scientific or not, I will happy to do that!

 

[azygous]

One of the things I have yet to really think through and discuss is how chickens may be able to evolve emotionally, much as humans do, and I believe this emotional development is aided by this interesting hormone, mesotocin in birds and oxytocin in humans.
The example of this in my own flock is a hen seeing an opportunity for emotional closeness when I am engaged in the simple task of scooping poop in the run. The hen herself initiates this, and I have several who do this, coming up close and raking her foot across the sand or across my knee as a signal to be picked up and held closely.
The more closely the hen is held, the more blissful is the reaction. And even the most active and motion-driven chicken will show no anxiousness to be released, content to be held in this close snuggle for as long as I'm willing to devote the time and energy to it.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

One of the things I have yet to really think through and discuss is how chickens may be able to evolve emotionally, much as humans do, and I believe this emotional development is aided by this interesting hormone, mesotocin in birds and oxytocin in humans.
The example of this in my own flock is a hen seeing an opportunity for emotional closeness when I am engaged in the simple task of scooping poop in the run. The hen herself initiates this, and I have several who do this, coming up close and raking her foot across the sand or across my knee as a signal to be picked up and held closely.
The more closely the hen is held, the more blissful is the the time and energy to it.

How do you get them to be like that?? I have so far had 1 who is maybe 1/2 way to that kind of loving out of the maybe 40 chickens I’ve ever had. How many of your chickens have these wonderful emotions?? And maybe you should be sending out their eggs to chicken lovers everywhere to hatch! I will send you my address.