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Hens Are Birds, Too continued from page 1
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Do not underestimate the intelligence of chickens. Many people mistakenly believe chickens are stupid because they don't fly or because they are cute and comical to watch. Penguins share these traits, and are accepted as an extremely intelligent animal with complex and intricate social behavior. It is true that through inbreeding, the IQ of many chickens has diminished. Chickens that are allowed to inbreed can be observed as becoming more dependent on humans for their survival, less skilled at foraging for food, and less adept at flying into trees to roost. Unless raised as pets, chickens should be energetic and feisty. Bred properly, chickens are highly intelligent survivors.
Chickens are also cunning. My hens are well aware that I expect them to lay eggs for my use, and indeed, that I will go searching for their eggs in likely hiding places if they don't lay in the boxes I provide. Some of my hens have been known to lay an egg in the laying-box every other day, as usual, only for me to discover that the same hen has been gathering eggs under a brush pile in the forest! These hens have devised a carefully thought-out plan: they are broody, and they don't want me to come searching for their hidden eggs, so they humor me by laying, alternately, an egg for me and an egg for their clutch.
Chickens also carry out complex social interactions. They develop meaningful friendships and partnerships. Many people think you put one rooster with five or six hens and there you have it. A closer study will reveal that the hens establish a clear pecking order with one hen establishing herself as alpha hen, and the rooster's "first wife," so to speak. If possible, she will roost beside him at night and will get first pickings of any tasty tidbit he finds while foraging. Chickens have a sense of humor, they like to have fun, they fall in love, and they pine for lost ones.
I have a hen who gets a kick out of taunting the dog. Everyday, Goldie hides in the collards beside the fenced-in dog run, waiting for the dog to come out. When the dog comes to the fence to watch the chickens, Goldie leaps out of the bushes, and zooms to and fro along the fence while the dog chases her on the other side, barking with frustration. Her behavior is no different from that of a Dachshund which teases a Rottweiler through a fence because he knows it can't catch him! I have a three-month-old rooster whose life revolves around playing pranks on his younger brother and sister. He'll follow them around all day just so that when they take a nap, he can creep up and peck them before running off.
There are some truly monogamous partnerships between my chickens wherein a rooster abstains from mating any hen besides his chosen mate, and will fight voraciously to protect her from other roosters. I've seen an alpha hen get broody and raise chicks, only to discover when the chicks are grown that another hen has taken her position beside the rooster. I've watched her suffer and pine as she fights in vain to regain his love and attention, only to finally resign herself to the position of subordinate. I've seen my alpha rooster embrace certain new hens as part of his flock, and drive others away. I've seen him fall in love with a beautiful frizzle hen, give her priority over all other hens, shelter and protect her, and when she died in a tragic accident, I watched him drive all the other chickens out of the coop that night so he could be alone to mourn.
Chickens are just as interesting and worthy of respect as any other breed of bird. And when providing them with housing and nesting sites, careful attention needs to be paid to their preferences. Just because they will accept poor quality when nothing else is offered, doesn't mean they like it. Hens ideally like a nest box that is made of natural wood, is just big enough for them to fit inside and turn around, and has wood shavings or similar bedding inside. When facing the box, make sure it has an entrance to the side (i.e. off-center) so they cannot be seen while laying. A hinged roof makes it easy to check for eggs in the evening. Co-operate with your hens and they will try to please you. And don't forget, they are mothers too, so consider buying your eggs in the spring.
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