Have you ever wondered if you can keep chickens as pets and name them? Well, you have first to know if they will respond to you when you name them. As an experienced chicken farmer, several facts make chicken interesting to rear.
I have noticed that my chickens behave interestingly. Regarding their ability to recognize and respond to their names, these birds are pretty awesome.
Contrary to popular belief that chickens are stupid and slow, they are not. It is a fact that these birds are far from being robotic, considering that they can identify more than 80 members of their species.
Do Chicken’s Respond to Names?
Now that we have established that chickens are smarter than most people care to admit, there is still the question of whether they respond to name-calling. Most kids will feel the urge to give their pet chicken names. But one wonders if this is an act in futility, or if the birds know when they are addressed?
Visual Over Voice
Different people have varied experiences as far as chicken naming is concerned. Generally, though, chickens tend to be more visual than they are audial. Usually, I would have an easy time feeding the chicken when I wear my flip-flops to the coop.
They would come running. I have noticed that the opposite happens when I enter the run with my sneakers or a different kind of footwear.
The chickens run away, or some of the bigger roosters behave as though they are attacking. What’s more, this happens even when I keep talking to them as I would when wearing the flip-flops they identify with.
It is almost as if they recognize the colors and shapes I wear more than they do my voice. This is their unique way of identifying with me.
Check this too: Why Does My Chicken Coop Smell So Bad?
A Different Experience
While my chicken seems to recognize and respond to shapes and colors better than my voice, a few farmers have had a different experience. One case is that of a young girl owning a pet chicken.
She runs straight from the bus after school and into the chicken pen to meet up with her favorite pet. The moment she calls, the specific hen comes out running, and they play around the farm for an hour before she gets in. This is a classic example of a chicken responding to its owner.
Other farmers have also reported noticing that some hens respond better to their names than others. One chicken owner said it was easier to train his two chickens to respond to their names than training his dog.
Sole Chicken Respond to Names Better
It is probably easier for a single chicken in the house to respond to its name than many. Chicks, hens, and roosters are likely to know their names when they are not crowded. It may be confusing to call out to the chicken when they are in a crowd.
However, different people have different experiences. How a chicken responds also depends on it was raised from when it was a chick. Some owners have trained their birds to respond to their names, and they can only come forward when they are called.
Some farmers have noticed that their chickens will not feed until they are called. Others have noticed that there is always a unique bird or a few unique ones that recognize their specific names more than others. While the other chicken will respond to a general call, some will keep pecking and doing what they were doing before they hear their specific names.
The Bottom line
In the end, chickens behave differently. While some birds respond and recognize their names, others never seem to get it. Farmers and chicken owners should focus on understanding how their birds behave. If you own a bird that can respond better to names, then stick to that.
However, if your birds are fond of you when you wear something specific or sound a certain way without necessarily calling their names, then go for it. The important thing is to have a unique way of communicating with the birds that identify you from visitors and outsiders. Farmers should always know how to communicate with the chicken they rear.
