Chicken Wisdom

 Sillier and Smarter Than You Think

Many believe chickens are noisy “bird brains”, yet we have learned from and enjoy chicken wisdom. Our small flock lives in a modest coop in the backyard. In addition to the fresh eggs they lay, they give us education and often a laugh through their antics.

Recently, a hen taught us that chickens can be silly as they demonstrate devotion and intelligence. It started when one of our hens became broody.

Broodiness is when a bird decides to be a mom. She fluffs up her feathers, eats little, stops laying eggs, changes her vocabulary, and spends hours in a nest. We decided to try something.

Golf Ball Trickery

We put a new nest in a separate coop, lined it with soft pine shavings, and filled it with golf balls. Yes, golf balls. When we showed the nest to the hen, she moved right in and kept the golf balls toasty warm. That’s not too smart, but shows persistence.

How Long Will It Take To Incubate Golf Balls?

It takes a chicken egg 21 days of incubation to hatch chicks, but hens, like most animals, can’t count. And, hens do not know the difference between “fake eggs” and real ones. She would sit for weeks trying to hatch golf balls. After she sat for about three weeks, we bought six chicks at a farm store and kept them in their tiny travel box until dark. Then, with only a flashlight to help guide him, Rich reached under the broody hen, retrieved the golf balls, and replaced them with the six balls of enthusiastic peeping fuzz. Baby chicks.

Would she adopt them?

We didn’t know if the hen would “wake up” from her trance and adopt the chicks. So, twice in the night, Rich woke and went out to check. Success! The new mama hen had gently tucked the babies under her soft warm feathers. The adoption was successful, saving us the trouble of brooding chicks.

Compassionate Mother Hen

We marvel at the outstanding care the new mom gives her babies. We learned that these admirable chicken traits are not always shared by people.

• The chicks aren’t biologically hers. Doesn’t matter. She’s a devoted mother.
• Some chicks are black. Others white. Still others have different colored feathers. Doesn’t matter. They’re tiny babies that need care that she readily gives.

Our mama hen practices Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Admirable trails, all.

She Just Knows How to Raise Chicks

Our mother hen was hatched in an incubator and raised in a brooder without the benefit of a mom. Yet, without child-rearing resources of books, friends, and the Internet, she just knew how to give her babies good care. It’s an admirable instinct.

She does more than just keep her babies warm. With her varied vocabulary of clucks and peeps, she shows the chicks where food is. She scolds the babies from time to time with a harsh screech sound. They listen and obey. She’s a wonderful and caring mother.

A Valuable Lesson For All

Broodiness can be a bother. When sitting on eggs and caring for babies, a hen won’t lay eggs, and often a family needs eggs more than chicks. However, watching the process of chicken reproduction is a fascinating and fun learning experience.