Dedicated to art and literature celebrating Gallus gallus domesticus.
We love giving our chickens toys to play with and are always curious as to which ones will ultimately be their favorite. We came across this article, 15 Awesome Chicken Toys to Help Entertain Flock, recommending fun toys and wanted to share it with our readers.
We keep a constant supply of the Hanging Loofah and Shredded Paper Toys in stock. It’s our chickens absolute favorite toy! It is a hoot to watch them shred these toys and the cleanup is super easy, as well as safe for them to destroy.
We recently met a delightful couple who adopted young chicks. They had mentioned that they had regretted not adopting them soon after they had hatched because were having difficulty bonding with them. Here are some helpful tips to bond with your brood no matter what stage of their lives you get them..
Keep A Good Routine – Get your chickens used to seeing you and have a good routine for feeding. They’ll look forward to seeing you!
Use A Special Sound To Call Them For Food Or A Treat – They will come running as soon as they hear it.
Talk To Your Chickens – They react and interact as you talk to them or make sounds.
Spend Time Around Your Chickens – To get to know their behaviour and they can get to know you.
Get On The Ground Next To Them – Sitting next to them can encourage them to come close to you on their terms.
Don’t Make Any Sudden Movements Around Them – Chickens by nature are skittish.
Don’t Try To Pick Them Up Too Soon Unless You Need To – Take your time because until they get to know you properly.
Begin By Stroking Your Chickens On The Back – They will get used to you touching them in a soothing manner.
We hope that today’s post provides the knowledge to have a healthy, happy and meaningful relationship with them.
We just got back from a fantastic vacation visiting the islands of Hawaii and were completely blown away by how many wild chickens roam free… EVERYWHERE.
According to National Geographic, genetic tests, and at least one biologist, Kauai’s wild chicken population has grown as a result of domesticated birds inadvertently let loose, and thereby breeding with each other as well as wild fowl. Today – with no natural predators – the wild chicken population continue to grow.
Local lore suggests that the hurricanes of 1982 (Iwa) and 1992 (Iniki) destroyed domestic coops and released the chickens into the jungles. These domesticated birds then mated with the wild red junglefowl (brought to the islands by the Polynesian) resulting in the feral chickens we see today.
Subsequently, question is, why are there so many chickens in Maui? Wild chickens aren’t plump like the ones found in the grocery store so they’re not good tasting to eat. That island experienced an increase in its wild chicken population when many chickens in coops and cages escaped following destruction by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Kauai’s wild jungle fowl is protected. Under state law like all birds of Hawaii, the moa is protected as an important part of nature. Although it is seldom spoken of and the law and repercussions for breaking the law is hard to pin down, harming the wild moa is a crime in the state of Hawaii.
Needless to say, seeing all these chickens added to the best vacation EVER!
Sarah Hudock is a masterful artist and an advocate of our feathered friends. Please take a moment to discover more about her on her website. We were so moved by her thoughts about Gallus gallus domesticus that we have taken a few excepts to share kindred sentiments.
In recent years I have infused my artwork with humor and concentrated on the simple joys in life (see my past Chicken Art.) But my work is evolving now… I will be painting many animals both wild and domestic, and I hope to make my work the best it can be to represent them.
One of my deepest wishes is to see humankind change our relationship with animals, to change our relationship to the earth itself: how we eat, drink, produce, and reproduce, how we think of this earth we are a part of, and our understanding of our place in it.
Chicken Wing Toe is dedicated to art and literature celebrating Gallus gallus domesticus.