Feeling Their Pain: Chickens and Empathy

 

By Susie

Scientists have recently published a study showing that chickens are capable of feeling empathy. They say their study “has important implications for the welfare of farm and laboratory animals.” Here at Farm Sanctuary, we’re happy that the scientific community is starting to acknowledge that animals deserve ethical consideration, but if they wanted to know whether or not chickens are capable of empathy, they could have just visited our farm! For many years we have been marveling at chickens’ personalities, at their individual quirks and habits, at the relationships they form, and at their numerous displays of empathy. 

We frequently see chickens empathize with one another when one of them has a health issue. All of the hens and roosters we’ve rescued from the egg production industry perch at night, but if a hen is sick, we will usually find her on the ground when we come in to close the barn. She will not be alone, however, and if not a rooster, one of her companion hens will be there to keep her company until we take her to our shelter hospital for treatment and observation.

The bonds between chickens grow when they have these experiences. We remember Taboo and Giggles, who were from different flocks, but developed a strong relationship when they spent time together at the hospital barn while they were both sick. Taboo’s health improved, so we returned her to her flock. After a few days, she ventured away from her flock and made the downhill trek back to the hospital to see her friend. We had to keep her away from some of the sick birds, so we again put her back with her original flock. It wasn’t long before Taboo started to show signs of illness and had to go back to the hospital barn. Immediately the friends united, and Taboo made an amazing recovery. At this point, we relented to Taboo’s insistence and let the two chickens remain together. They happily lived with one another until Giggles passed. After that Taboo started to succumb to illness again, and was never quite the same as when she was with her friend. It was clear to anyone who knew her how meaningful her relationship with Giggles was, and how profoundly affected she was by her friend’s well-being. 

The sad truth is that despite all the information we have about the complexity of these beautiful, intelligent animals, agribusiness still treats them like egg, milk and meat making machines. In typical factory farm conditions, behaviors like those shown by Taboo and Giggles could never be observed — most chickens spend their days crammed in a cage barely able to move, or in the case of birds used for meat, are killed after just six short weeks of life. We have been fortunate to be able to give chickens like Taboo and Giggles a home where they can act as they naturally should. In return they have shown us just how much they can empathize with one another, without having to test on them!

Top photo: Taboo and Giggles, friends for life

Comments

[Heat Pump Prices]

I found this article useful in a paper I am writing at university. Hopefully, I get an A+ now!

[George Noble]

I wonder when this same care and concern will be extended to fish, which are also, now being factory farmed. I have read reports of fish showing bonding, attachments and personality traits. Living in the water poses a greater barrier to humans bonding with them, however. The whale and dolphin mammals, I notice, have not had difficulty attracting human advocates.

[barbara capalbo]

Almost 20 years ago while we were on vacation in South East Asia I recall an awakening I had with regard to chickens. We were sitting on our cabin porch relaxing after a long hike. Suddenly from below came the most disturbing cry - an ungodly clucking wail - coming from a chicken nearby. As I inquired about what was going on my husband pointed out that the person carrying the chicken was carrying it by the feet upside down. My husband said the chicken was carrying on so much because it knew it was going to be slaughtered. I can't tell you how much this upset me. I wanted to save that chicken, honestly. My husband probably stopped me. Well, that chicken's distress ended my chicken eating from that day on. Until then I just had never considered that chickens might be aware, let alone even care, that they were about to be killed or become someone's meal. If people had to slaughter their own animals to eat and/or witness what animals go through as they're about to be killed many more people would stop eating meat. This sad upsetting event changed me. I realized chickens were animals with feelings, too, and that they deserved our respect. That led me to consider what other animals might be going through. And so I totally stopped eating meat.

[Angie Lavezzo]

This is so well said. It seems everyone I talk to that is an animal lover has experienced at least one poignant story about animal relationships and their complexity. I think that's why it seems all the more shocking to me that big agri-business can ignore it so completely. I am very glad that science is attempting to catch up to what animal lovers have known all along. Hopefully science will help the laws change to give animals the respect they all deserve.

[Elaine]

Birds are amazingly sympathetic AND empathetic! My male cockatiel, sat with and comforted my female dog when she 'gave birth' after suffering through a false pregnancy. They had never paid much attention to each other until she was mothering her imaginary brood, composed of a slipper and a stuffed toy. She was comforted as he spent hours sitting next to her for the better part of a week until she was well again. It was truly beautiful to see such bonding and care.