Chicken knowledge is my specialty, and I love reading and learning anything I can about these unique homestead creatures! Over the years, I have come across some facts that simply blew my mind. Chickens are amazing creatures that have been proven to be smart and emotionally sensitive. If you have ever looked a chicken in the eye, you might be surprised by the intelligence that can be found there. They are not as bird-brained as they make you think! By the time you’re done reading these 20 crazy chicken facts, you may view your feathered friends in a new light! Here are 20 crazy chicken facts that amazed me the most!
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Fact #1.
The heaviest, recorded egg ever laid by a chicken weighed 1 pound! For comparison, the average medium-sized chicken egg weighs about 1.75 ounces and the average goose egg weighs about 5 ounces. Keep in mind there are 16 ounces in a pound!
Fact #2.
The University of Missouri created a strain of Leghorns with an extremely high production rate. One hen from that strain laid 371 eggs in 364 days! That’s over an egg a day!
Fact #3.
Another hen from that same strain laid an egg a day for 448 days straight! Now there’s a reliable production hen! However, most production hens will have a laying cycle of 3-4 days, then they will skip a day before resuming again.
Fact #4.
Much like my hen/rooster, Hitan (pictured above), a flock of chickens was found that was made solely of half male and half female chickens. This phenomenon, called bilateral gynandromorph, is very rare and results in one side of a chicken that is male (larger wattle, male reproductive organs, coloring, etc…) and the other side being female (smaller wattle, female reproductive organ, coloring, etc..).
Note: I won Champion Poultry Showmanship at my local count fair by telling the judge ‘something he didn’t know’ which happened to be this fact!
Fact #5.
A breed called the Sumatra, has been reported to have flown over 5 miles on prevailing winds and to have jumped 6 feet with clipped wings. The Sumatra is a unique breed of chicken that is prized for the cock’s long, dropping tail feathers and stunning looks.
They are bred with black plumage and have dark faces with some mulberrying in their facial skin. Sumatras were once used for cockfighting, which means they were bred with small combs (pea combs), a strong sturdy build, and long endurance. Show quality sumatras should have little to no wattles.
Fact #6.
A chicken developed in Israel has only a few wisps of feathers on its pink skin. Needing shade to prevent sunburn in the summer and heated housing in the winter, these birds look like they are literally ready to ‘jump into your crock pot’! Minimal plucking needed!
Fact #7.
Several breeds of chickens have been created in Japan and China based on the length of their crow. These breeds, sometimes called ‘longcrowers’, can make their crow last anywhere from 15 seconds to 1 minute!
One such breed is called the Kosova longcrower chicken. These birds are not only unique because of how long the rooster can crow for, but they also look cool too! They have a crest of feathers on their head and are one of the breeds that sport a fancy v-comb.
Fact #8.
Along those same lines, other breeds have been developed in Japan based on their long tails. Where growing long tails has been perfected to an art, some cock’s tails will grow 3 feet in a year. That means a 10-year-old cock will have a 30-foot long tail!
In the attempt to achieve the long tail gene, many long tail cocks have lost the molting gene, allowing their tail feathers to grow for longer periods of time without losing them.
One such breed is called the Onagadori chicken, which means ‘long-tailed chicken’.
Fact #9.
Chickens ‘cannot’ taste sweetness and don’t like the taste of bitterness. They can taste saltiness and are sensitive to sour foods too. Chickens do indeed have taste buds, 767 taste buds in fact. Most of those taste buds are located on the roof of the mouth and near the back of the mouth.
The exact number of buds a chicken has depends on the breed and its gender. They also increase or decrease as the bird matures or ages.
Fact #10.
Chickens are not dumb. They actually have a great memory and can distinguish between over 100 different faces of animals or people. They have also been taught to do obstacle courses, come when called, distinguish between colors and numbers, and learn skills by watching videos of other chickens!
Want to learn how to train your chickens? Check out this article on The Secret to Training Chickens! After you know how to train your flock, check out these 7 ideas for what you can train them to do!
Fact #11.
Hens create their own pecking order within a flock. If there is more than 1 cock in a flock, the cocks will create their own pecking order. A cock’s pecking order is outside of the hen’s pecking order. The pecking order is established by each individual bird observing other birds’ strengths and weaknesses and determining if they are able to move up in the pecking order.
Some breeds of chickens are more assertive about moving up in the pecking order than other breeds. Larger breeds tend to be more laid back whereas lighter breeds are more assertive.
Fact #12.
Chickens can map their location using the sun. They can do this as early as 2 weeks of age. When special photoreceptors in their eyes get activated, a chemical gets released in the bird’s brain to mark a specific location. Talk about a built in GSP system!
Fact #13.
Chickens can also navigate using a ‘compass’ that is located between the base of the beak between the eyes. The ‘compass’ uses Earth’s magnetic fields to guide the chicken.
Fact #14.
“Scientists have learned that this bird can be deceptive and cunning, that is possess communication skills on par with those of some primates and that it uses sophisticated signals to convey its intentions. When making decisions, the chicken takes into account its own prior experience and knowledge surrounding the situation. It can solve complex problems and empathizes with individuals that are in danger”
(Resource: Carolynn L. Smith and Sarah L. Zielinski, “The Startling Intelligence of the Common Chicken“.)
Fact #15.
Chickens use their sense of smell to find and identify food and to sense when danger is near. They have a similar amount of scent sensors (olfactory receptors) as humans. It is even thought that chickens have the ability to identify who they are genetically related to, which has been observed in penguins! This would help them avoid inbreeding in their flock.
Fact #16.
A chicken’s internal body temperature varies depending on the age of the chicken, breed, gender, activity level, health, and different situations. A chick’s body temperature is about 103°F and then it gradually increases to reach the average adult body temperature of 106°F. By replacing its down feathers with adult feathers, a chick can better regulate its own body temperature.
The average adult chicken body temperature ranges from 105-107°F. Extreme weather changes may cause the body temperature to spike up to 113°F or lower to 80°F!
Fact #17.
Hens are attracted to males who have certain physical traits. They take into consideration the size of the comb, wattles, earlobes, spurs, and eye color of a rooster. Roosters with bigger combs and wattles seem to be more successful. Hens also notice a rooster’s neck and tail feathers. Good looking roosters will attract more attention!
Find out why it’s good to have a rooster in your homestead flock!
Fact #18.
If a hen mates with one rooster, then mates with another, better rooster, she can eject up to 80% of the first rooster’s sperm to increase the chances that the better rooster will sire her chicks.
Fact #19.
A broody hen will rarely set on an even-numbered clutch of eggs. The reason for this seems to be because an odd number of eggs fit together better in a nest. Thus, when you are giving a broody hen a clutch of eggs, try and give her an odd amount of eggs.
Fact #20.
Chickens have eyes on the side of their heads which allows their brains to put together a 300° panoramic view of their surroundings. They also have monocular and binocular vision which allows them to examine something closely on the ground (like a grub) and still scan the skies for predators with the other eye.
Being that their eyes on either side of their head, a chicken cannot see directly in front of its face. When you are offering a chicken a treat, hold it out to the side where they can see it. A chicken will also tilt and bob its head to gather more things in view.
Chickens truly are unique and amazing creatures! I love learning the quirky personalities of each of the members of my flock and it is fun to see how different members interact with me and with the other chickens. Hopefully these 20 crazy chicken facts surprised you and shed a new light on the way we view our homestead flocks! These facts are perfect for wowing friends and family! If you participate in poultry trivia or quiz bowl, take note of these fun facts, one could just be a winning fact!
Which crazy fact surprised you the most?
Aside from having fun with our homestead flock, we also provide lots of useful and practical information about raising homestead chickens. Don’t miss out on any information, join our modern pioneer newsletter community!
by Alexa
Resources:
- Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
- How to Speak Chicken by Melissa Caughey
- For more books that contain some great, helpful chicken information, check out my post on Backyard Chicken Book Reviews.
Catherine Shaw Echevarria
March 21, 2023 5:08 pmWe are new to chickens but even before reading this blog, my interactions with them have blown me away!