5 Facts About Chickens That’ll Surprise You

Do you love chickens? Are you interested in some fun facts that you probably didn’t know?

There is so much more to chickens than most people think. They are complex, highly intelligent creatures.

You will be surprised by how much you didn’t know, so keep reading to learn five interesting facts about chickens.

1. Chickens Can Dream

One of the best chicken facts is that when chickens sleep, they have dreams. Like humans, chickens are mammals and experience rapid eye movement (REM), which signifies dreaming.

Unlike humans, though, chickens also experience uni-hemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS), which means half of their brain is asleep while the other half is awake.

Chickens can quite literally sleep with one eye open, so remember that if you happen upon a seemingly sleeping chicken.

2. Chickens Are Dinosaurs

When you start raising chickens, you will clearly see how they have evolved from dinosaurs. They are the closest living relative to the T. Rex, which you can see glimpses of when they run and the sounds that they make.

Birds were the only lineage of dinosaurs that survived the mass extinction 65 million years ago, and chickens seem to be the closest link to those survivors.

3. Chickens Can Fly

Chickens can’t fly far, but they can fly high enough to get up in a tree or on a fence. This allows for better foraging. Chickens can also run very fast, up to 9 mph in short bursts, and they can turn quickly.

This speed and the ability to fly helps keep them safe and protected from most predators, even when using various chicken coop plans.

4. Chickens Are Omnivores

Many people mistake chickens for being vegetarians. However, while they will eat grass, seeds, and grain, they will also catch and eat insects, lizards, and field mice.

This makes them an easy pet to keep and allows them a high survivability rate since they can eat just about anything they find.

5. Certain Chicken Breeds Are Becoming Extinct

Though there are billions of chickens alive today, many traditional breeds are at an increasingly higher risk of becoming extinct.

Industrialized farming and factory farming bred in certain genetics that helped enhance meat and egg production, which didn’t allow the preservation of the original breeds.

While this is not as much of a fun or exciting fact, it is an important one to be aware of.

Learn All of the Facts About Chickens

These five facts about chickens are just a starting point. If you’re interested in learning more about chickens, consider buying books and visiting farms to see them in person.

You may even be able to have chickens at your house, which, as you can see, has many benefits! Who wouldn’t want their own personal tiny dinosaur?

Would you like to learn more today? Well, then you should be browsing through our website now.