Chickens are clucking awesome!

I have said before that chickens are the spoiled kids of the barnyard.

This is still true, but that doesn't mean I don't like them.

Chickens are pretty, funny and full of personality. 

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Here are some fun facts about our frolicking Feathered Friends. 

Chickens are descended from the redhead jungle fowl found in Asia. There are also some genetics that are similar to pheasants. 

There are dozens of different kinds of chicken breeds, such as leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpington

(which we have👆) 

There are several different categories of chickens and several different breeds in each category. 

There are meat bird breeds. 

There are egg-laying breeds.  

There are ornamental breeds such as bantams, a silkie is a type of Bantam that has five toes. 

They also have very wispy feathers and a puff on their head. 

They're pretty darn cute! 

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The fear of chickens is called Alektorophobia.  

I know some people with this fear, and I have to be honest I never completely understood it. 

Chickens aren't exactly dangerous creatures. Occasionally you will get a rooster that can be downright aggressive, but they only weigh about 5 lb! 

Catch them by the leg or neck you can pretty much control what they do.

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Chickens have more bones in their necks than giraffes,  😮 right? Who knew!

The dance roosters perform is called kibitzing. 

He does this for two reasons, one is a mating dance to get the hens attention, he also does it to get them to come over if he finds some tasty food.

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Roosters take very good care of their hens they protect them, provide them with food, they even show them good places to lay eggs by exhibiting a nesting Behavior. 

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A young chicken is called a pullet until she's old enough to lay eggs and turns into a hen. 

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A group of chickens is called A flock, chickens have a good memory and can remember up to a hundred different faces and voices of people and animals.

Chickens have a hierarchy, or pecking order if you will!

They also have friends they prefer to hang out with and can even mourn the loss of them.

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There are more chickens in the world than there are people. Chickens are the most numerous of all types of birds. 

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It takes 4 pounds of food for a hen to have enough energy to lay a dozen eggs, a hen will lay two or three eggs every two days.

 The type of chicken makes a difference in the color of the egg, all eggs, regardless of the color, taste the same and have the same nutritional value. 

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Chickens are omnivores, they not only eat grass and small plants, they also eat bugs, small rodents, and lizards. So when you go to the grocery store and buy a dozen eggs that says that the hens have an all-vegetarian diet, that's actually not how they are meant to eat.

Hens will lay eggs regardless of whether there's a rooster around or not, the only difference is the eggs will not be fertile. When female chicks are hatched they have every egg they will ever lay already inside them. 

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If a hen decides that the rooster she spent last night with isn't good enough to procreate with she will reject his sperm.

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Chickens do not go to the bathroom in separate forms it all comes out together, and at once. (This is true for all birds.)

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Chickens have mostly lost the ability to fly, they can fly for short distances like over fences or up into trees, or to get away from you if you're trying to do something with them. 

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Chickens are very aware of Sky Predators, if the rooster sees a hawk he will make a cooing sound and all the hens will run for shelter.   

Chickens are fairly smart for the size of their brain and can be trained quite easily.

They can be trained to come to a certain call, and also to go to bed, as into the chicken coop, at a certain time of night. 

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My hens are very humorous when they go into the coop for the night, they all get up on their perches and wash up, as in preening their feathers and get cleaned up. At night as they prune and preen and get comfortable it is very enjoyable to watch. 

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Mother hens talk to their chicks even before they hatch from their eggs. Chicks recognize their mother's voice and will respond to it above any other chickens call. 

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Chickens have a wide range of vocal sounds when a hen lays an egg she usually cackles loudly and excessively. It tends to get the roosters attention and then he joins in.

If a hen cries out in fear the rooster will come running to see if he can help her.

Roosters will fight each other to claim dominance, their fights can be pretty bloody and brutal, sometimes they can even kill each other. 

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Chickens will dust bathe, they make a little hole in the dirt where it's dry, they throw themselves on the ground and toss their wings around as if they were having a fit. They hop up and shake their feathers off in a cloud of dust leaves them. This is to ward off mites and helps keep their skin cool. They act as if they very much enjoy it and it's quite funny to watch.

When a chicken is overheated she will hold her wings away from her body and pant.

Wheher you love chickens, put up with them, or are terrified of them, you must admit chickens play a huge part in our world.

 If it wasn't for their quirky personalities and fantastic laying abilities the nation's diet would look completely different.

 The egg is exactly what the human body needs to start off their day, or continue it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and baked goods we love eggs! 

Thank you chickens, you're clucking awesome!

🐓 🐔 🐣 🍳💗