Why roosters have wattles...

[journey11]

Ok, I posted this over on TEG and I'm surprised no one over here has seen it yet.

Science has unlocked the door to the great depths of the chicken mind! Not that I ever really thought much about it, maybe other than they just look macho, but scientists have discovered exactly WHY roosters have those wonderful, wobbly, wattle thingies...so, read about it here.

But didn't we already know that all our chickens ever think about is FOOD?! This just cracks me up. I hope they didn't spend too much time and money on researching this...

 

[ivan3]

Sexual ornamentation in gallinaceous birds is quite an investment as the color(s), the carotenoids, have to be gained through diet. A healthy roo with bright red wattles is, of course, `attractive', when combined with the food call to the girls and a shake of the head? Irresistible. However, what they ought to try next is the mock call. Our roo would give out the `come here! Food!' signal while lifting and dropping a mere bit of straw. The hens would come running until they got about three feet away and would evaluate the offering from that distance. The roo was looking to mate, the hens would have none of it and would walk off. If he had had a grasshopper it would often end in dinner and a date.

One can never tell, in science, where one might end up and what might be the inspiration. Check out the connection between the sexual ornamentation of tom turkeys and explosive detection:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-01/22/turkey-tnt-sensor-photo

 

[journey11]

The girls are at least smart enough not to fall for a cheap date.

 

[donrae]

Sexual ornamentation in gallinaceous birds is quite an investment as the color(s), the carotenoids, have to be gained through diet. A healthy roo with bright red wattles is, of course, `attractive', when combined with the food call to the girls and a shake of the head? Irresistible. However, what they ought to try next is the mock call. Our roo would give out the `come here! Food!' signal while lifting and dropping a mere bit of straw. The hens would come running until they got about three feet away and would evaluate the offering from that distance. The roo was looking to mate, the hens would have none of it and would walk off. If he had had a grasshopper it would often end in dinner and a date.

One can never tell, in science, where one might end up and what might be the inspiration. Check out the connection between the sexual ornamentation of tom turkeys and explosive detection:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-01/22/turkey-tnt-sensor-photo

My roosters try the exact same thing--you can just hear him--"look, I've got FOOD, it's good, look what I FOUND just for YOU, I LOVE you, come SEE it"---hen comes close--WHAM--he's on her--she's mad--no cheap dates--gotta buy me dinner or at least dance for me first.