Wintering Chickens or the Collective Chicken Consciousness

    So the girls do not seem to mind the cold, but they do not trust snow. I wonder what they think about it? Chickens obviously see at least some color because they always go after the red nail polish I wear on my toes (in the summer). They can pick out the corn feed from the chicken meal--that's another phenomena, a topic for later. They can pick out bugs in the dirt before I can see them.
    Maybe they think snow has no substance since it is all the same. Does it look like clouds to them--although I don't think many chickens have flown high enough to experience clouds. The real question is: How do they think???
    Maybe there is a collective chicken consciousness. Going back to the corn feed--the first day I brought them corn feed, it was in a clear bag. They began pecking at the corn in the bag, chasing me for it, in fact. They had never experienced corn before so this was not a learned behavior. There are other things, like oyster shell or pine shavings, that I have brought out to them in a clear bag and they have never pecked at that.
   I have come to the conclusion that there must be a collective chicken consciousness. The aversion to snow must be part of it. If there is a collective chicken consciousness, are there also chicken archetypes?  Like Chicken Little, or the Chicken that Crossed the Road, or Chicken Soup (probably not a favorite), or Playing Chicken . . . We will have to ask Chicjung for a consult, til next time...

chicktoons

Chicken cartoon link

First Snow!

This morning I went out to feed the girls and Cleo, who generally jumps out the door, got halfway out and turned around. "What ever that white stuff is, I don't want to go there."

I can relate.

Bel is Broody and I have been away too long

Life has changed among the chickens. Bel and Cleo have grown up and produce eggs regularly. Bel is a bit broody and likes to sit in the nesting box as much as possible. I even have to pull her out so she will get some exercise. I am told this is normal and it's good to have at least one broody hen. Cleo and her will lay eggs and Bel sits on them. It's like she is in heat. She wants the eggs to hatch so she can take care of babies.

They say snow is on the way, so we move into a new stage of life with chickens.

Our first family meal ala chickens and garden greens!