Some Fun Facts About Chickens

Before owning chickens, I didn’t know much about them. I didn’t want chickens but once I have a hobby or take on a new role, I research as much as I can. Here are some fun facts I’ve learned about chickens. 

All Chickens are Chickens but They’re not just Chickens 

When talking with chicken people, you learn very quickly that chicken isn’t a gender and a female chicken isn’t just a “hen.” Before a chicken starts to lay, she is referred to as a pullet. Some people will refer to them as pullets until they are a year old but many people once they lay their first egg start calling them hens. 

Of course, a newly hatched chicken is called a chick. 

Adult male chickens are roosters but under a year old are referred to as a cockerel. In the UK, roosters are called “cocks.” 

These terms are very important to know when talking to other chicken people. 

Not all Eggs are White 

Besides brown and white eggs, there are breeds of chickens that lay different shades of blue, green, pink, and even lavender. Many people refer to these birds as Easter Eggers. 

Easter Eggers are the “mutts” in the chicken world. Ameraucanas carry a blue egg gene and lay light or sky blue eggs. Easter Eggers are a mix of Ameraucanas and generally a brown egg laying chicken, which is why their eggs are different colors.  

The Bearded Rooster wanted to add a blue egg-laying hen so we purchased what we thought was an Ameraucana from the feed store (it was label this way). Very quickly, we realized Clara wasn’t a true Ameraucana. She has olive-colored feet and when she started laying her eggs are an olive color. We call her our Olive Egger. 

People confuse Ameraucanas, Araucana, and Easter Eggers all the time because they have many of the same features. 

Some people think brown eggs are better for you and there was a media campaign some years back promoting blue eggs as being more healthy.  But there is no difference in the nutritional value of the different color eggs. There are recent studies that say free-range chicken eggs are healthier because the birds are getting regular exercise, eating bugs, and getting plenty of sunshine. 

Chickens Have Personalities

I never thought of chickens as having personalities. I guess I just thought of them as livestock. But each one of our birds is different. 

Trudy, our Leghorn, is bossy! And in charge. She’s even this way with me. If she wants my attention, she will peck my feet or the back of my legs. 

Buttercup, our Golden Comet, is our bully. I think she’s afraid of losing her spot as #2. She will not hesitate to put any of the girls in their place. 

Trixie, our Buckeye, is our hunter and tends to be a loner. She generally stays with the flock but will definitely do her own thing. 

Hazel, our Gold Laced Wyandotte, is nurturing and very motherly. She goes broody several times a year. Any time we’ve introduced new birds to our flock, she takes them under her wing. 

Marble, our Barred Rock, is the most curious and noisy. When I’m doing chores, she follows me around, talking the entire time. I imagine that she’s asking me what I’m doing or telling me about her day. 

Then Clara is our sweet, submissive bird at the bottom of the pecking order. She keeps her distance mostly because she is picked on. 

Chickens Can Run Fast

Now our chickens will generally come up to us and let us handle them.

But if they aren’t in the mood or when it’s time to do their chicken check-up, they run! And they run a lot faster than I can. Chickens can run up to 9 miles an hour and switch directions quickly. 

If we sit outside for a few minutes, several of them will be up in our lap.

Now, Hazel is a dual-purpose bird and has a little meat on her bones so I don’t think she runs quite that fast but she’s still hard to catch.  

Chickens Don’t Pee

Chicken don’t pee per se. They don’t urinate separately. Their urine, or the uric acid, is included in their poop. It’s the white stuff on top.  

Chickens Favorite Color is Red 

Chickens are attracted to bright colors and especially the color red. I realized this early one when they would peck at my toenail polish if I went outside barefoot or in flip flops. Then I took a class at our local feed store and learned that they have an extra cone in their eyes that allows them to see colors more vividly. Because of this, the bottom of most waterers and feeders are red or orange. Baby chicks are naturally drawn to it. 

Additionally, their eyes work independently of each other. This allows them to watch for predators and forage at the same time. 

Now For Some “Not So Fun” Facts About Chickens 

Chickens don’t lay eggs every day

I’m not sure this is a not so fun fact but it’s something I didn’t know before owning chickens. Now some birds will lay almost daily while others only lay 3-4 eggs per week. Plus at different times of the year, they may not lay at all. For more info, check out my blog on the best egg-laying chickens and why my chickens stopped laying eggs. 

Chickens stop laying eggs as they age

As a chicken ages, its egg production decreases. Again, not a fun fact. Being naive and uneducated about chickens, I thought they laid eggs all the time and forever. After three to four years, egg production decreases by 50% and after seven years (if they live that long), they probably won’t lay at all. 

A chicken’s life span is hard to determine

Because egg production drops off after two years, factory or battery hens are usually processed around 18 months.  Additionally, predators factor in the equation, killing many chickens before they reach old age. Hybrid or sex-link chickens, like Buttercup, are bred for egg production and are susceptible to reproductive tumors and diseases. They may only live 4-5 years.     

So depending on the breed, if you can keep the bird healthy and avoid predators, chickens can live over 10 years. But most experts estimate the average life span is 7-8 years. 

The biggest not so fun fact about chickens is how hard it is when you lose a chicken

I was surprised by how quickly I got attached to the chickens. I love those feathery girls. They are like my best friends. Sounds crazy, right?! Everyone I talk to that has chickens, feels the same way. So when we lost one to a hawk the first year, I was devastated. We upped our security and now have a chicken dog, Sugar our Livestock Guardian, to help protect them. 

Our girls are three years old and I’m trying my best so they can live a long happy life. I even hope to adopt some battery hens in the next few years.  

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