Chickens Prefer Attractive People
The barnyard bird is a lot smarter than you think.
We know the importance of having a little light to get through the dark days of winter.
It's important for chickens, too.
When Danielle Smith asked, “Why do chickens need a lot of hours of light to lay eggs?” we checked in with some poultry professionals.
Seeing the Light
Hens are "photo-stimulated," which means they require light to produce eggs, says Claudia Dunkley, a poultry scientist at the University of Georgia.
After being exposed to 12 hours of natural or artificial light, the chicken's hypothalamus causes the release of a reproductive hormone that spurs egg laying. The hormone, gonadotropin, is the same one that kickstarts the human reproductive cycle. (Also read how a rooster knows to crow at dawn.)
In winter, when there's less daylight, birds "not kept in houses where light is provided for extended periods will stop laying," Dunkley says.
Chickens don't need to mate with a rooster in order to lay eggs, just for those eggs to produce chicks. Hens can lay about one egg every 24 hours or so.
Strangely, the color of chicken eggs sometimes coincides with the color of the birds' earlobes.
"Typically breeds with white earlobes lay white eggshells, and those with red earlobes lay brown eggshells," says Jacqueline Jacob, a poultry scientist at the University of Kentucky. (Read about the oddest eggs in the animal kingdom.)
An example of this breed is the Rhode Island red.
No Bird Brain
The domesticated animals we know as chickens descended from the red jungle fowl of Southeast Asia about 8,000 years ago.
Because the birds evolved in constantly changing environments that required searching for food daily, "it's not surprising that [they're] cognitively complex in certain things," such as spatial navigation, says Richard Blatchford, a poultry scientist at the University of California at Davis.
See Amazing Photographs of Birds
For instance, in experiments, trained chicks can judge absolute and relative distances to food even when those distances are changed.
"Chickens have been used to study animal cognition for a long time," he adds.
Count Your Chickens
For instance, chickens can recognize up to 30 other individual chickens, and chicks imprint the image of their mother between 24 to 36 hours of hatching, says Dunkley. (Related: "The Surprising Ways that Chickens Changed the World.")
One study showed chicks "imprinted" to an image of a red triangle even if it was partly obscured—suggesting the birds can envision partially hidden objects in their minds.
Not only that, the birds can recognize and discern people based on their faces. And they apparently like beautiful humans.
A 2002 paper found that chickens have the same preference for certain human faces as do humans, "keying in on things like symmetry" in features—one of the subconscious measures of attractiveness, Blatchford says.
In the study, the scientists trained four hens to react to photographs of an average female face but not an average male face, and vice versa for two cocks.
Then, the team showed these trained birds pictures of faces with exaggeratedly masculine and feminine traits.
The chickens pecked more at screens showing symmetrical faces—revealing the same preferences as the 14 people who had done the same experiment.
The study is limited in that it only tested a small number of chickens and humans. But the results may suggest the mutual admiration for symmetry is rooted in the nervous system, and not necessarily due to cultural influences.
Wow. What could be more humiliating than a chicken who sees you and swipes left?
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- This ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thoughtThis ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thought
- Why this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect senseWhy this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect sense
- When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
Environment
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
History & Culture
- Séances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occultSéances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occult
- Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?
- Beauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century SpainBeauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century Spain
- The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
- Heard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followersHeard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followers
Science
- Here's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in spaceHere's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in space
- Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.
- NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
- Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?
Travel
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico
- Follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood ForestFollow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest
- This chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new directionThis chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new direction
- On the path of Latin America's greatest wildlife migrationOn the path of Latin America's greatest wildlife migration
- Everything you need to know about Everglades National ParkEverything you need to know about Everglades National Park