Chickens are capable of feeling empathy, scientists believe

[onehandle]

Source: Telegraph

Domestic chickens display signs of empathy, the ability to ''feel another's pain'' that is at the heart of compassion, a study has found.

The discovery has important implications for the welfare of farm and laboratory animals, say researchers. Empathy, long thought to be a defining human trait, causes one individual to be affected by the emotional state of another. Feelings are ''mirrored'' in the observer, leading to a shared experience of being happy, sad or distressed. The research demonstrated that hens possess a fundamental capacity to empathise, at least with their own chicks. Scientists chose hens and chicks for the study because it is thought empathy probably evolved to aid parental care.

A number of controlled procedures were carried out which involved ruffling the feathers of chicks and mother hens with an air puff. When chicks were exposed to puffs of air, they showed signs of distress that were mirrored by their mothers. The hens' heart rate increased, their eye temperature lowered - a recognised stress sign - and they became increasingly alert. Levels of preening were reduced, and the hens made more clucking noises directed at their chicks.

Researcher Jo Edgar, from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, said: ''The extent to which animals are affected by the distress of others is of high relevance to the welfare of farm and laboratory animals. ''Our research has addressed the fundamental question of whether birds have the capacity to show empathic responses. ''We found that adult female birds possess at least one of the essential underpinning attributes of 'empathy', the ability to be affected by, and share, the emotional state of another.''

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8370301/Chickens-are-capable-of-feeling-empathy-scientists-believe.html

[Avant Guardian]

1. So, chickens are more emotionally evolved than republicans?

No big surprise there.

[flamingdem]

6. Buckin' A! nt

[boston bean]

74. don't you mean "Cluckin' A" ?

[Autumn]

2. I got to say, I have a hen who is six years old

she is just the smartest thing I have seen. She is more like a dog and I swear to God she understands me when we talk. I think she can even tell time. When it's time for me to start dinner she gets on the deck railing by the kitchen window and chats with me when I am in the kitchen.

[snot]

3. +1

[Aerows]

31. Birds are very intelligent

with respect to eyesight, and facial recognition (among the birds that are not birds of prey - many of those are also excellent at it, but owls, for instance, are horrible at seeing, but amazing at hearing).

[bitchkitty]

33. Love this post.

I like chickens too, they have funny personalities!

[Exultant Democracy]

4. I would be surprised if any species with nurturing mothers didn't have a level of empathy.

[jdlh8894]

5. Don't think ckickens nurture

Lay the eggs, then they are placed in an incubator to hatch.

[Exultant Democracy]

9. You are joking right?

[jdlh8894]

10. No.

[Exultant Democracy]

15. 1. Incubators are not a natural condition for chickens. 2. Ever hear the term "Mother Hen"

it is a common idiom that was derived from the behavior of mother chickens towards their chicks.(nurturing behavior)

[jdlh8894]

17. Ever seen a "mother Hen" kill her own?

Not a pretty sight.

[Exultant Democracy]

19. infanticide isn't limited to chickens. Humans have practiced it since before recorded history

that being said I don't know what your point you were trying to make.

[yawnmaster]

55. How do you know they were doing it before recorded history? eom

[Exultant Democracy]

60. Paleontology and oral traditions.

[NashVegas]

12. And Now You May Have a Clue Why We're Going to Hell In a Handbag

There's a bit of a metaphor there, ya know?

[Exultant Democracy]

16. I was really hoping that it was a joke.

[Tumbulu]

incubators are a new invention

and most chickens outside of the industrial ag model hatch out their chicks and tend them very carefully, I might add. And the roosters act as the guardians to the whole flock. I was just outside looking to see what the ruckus was all about- the alarm cries were going out. It is often a fox bringing her babies around for some hunting practice.

It is pretty sad that it takes a scientific study to convince anyone that animals have feelings. Somehow, when the industrial model of ag got going there was some sort of reductionist thinking going on claiming that these animals had no feelings and thus it was OK to torture them for increased profit on to "feed the world cheaply".

[jdlh8894]

18. New ? We used 25watt lightbulbs in the 60's.n/t

[Exultant Democracy]

20. light bulbs are a new invention too when we are talking about the time scales involved in evolution.

The domestication of chickens took place almost 10k years ago, but of course they were around a long time before that.

[jdlh8894]

21. So, 10K years ago

They were "Free Ice " chickens?

[nadinbrzezinski]

62. There are still cousins of Chickens in the wild in Asia

where they live well under the forest canopy and are skittish as can be.

[uppityperson]

66. There were domesticated chickens 10,000 yrs ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken

Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was already under way in Thailand,<2> Vietnam and the South East Asian jungles over 10,000 years ago, and spread into neighboring regions to the east such as China, and towards the west in India where it was conventionally thought to have been domesticated.<3> From India the domesticated fowl made its way to the Persianized kingdom of Lydia in western Asia Minor, and domestic fowl were imported to Greece by the fifth century BC.<4> Fowl had been known in Egypt since the 18th Dynasty, with the "bird that lays every day" having come to Egypt from the land between Syria and Shinar, Babylonia, according to the annals of Tutmose III.<5>

[uppityperson]

34. You obviously haven't met my chickens. Funny sight is mom silkies growling at my dog

when dog gets too close to the nest or hatched chicks.

Picture this 2 pound chicken growling at our 95 lb dog.

[shireen]

48. wow!

she's beautiful!
what's her name and what's her breed?
how long have you had her?
what's her personality like?

:hi:

[uppityperson]

50. Thanks. Mim, silkie, now dead :(

She was a really good mom. She'd sit on golf balls for a couple weeks, then we'd get store chicks (full sized breed rather than like her puniness) and stick them under her one night and she'd wake up with CHICKS!!!!

She was very quiet and peaceful until she had CHICKS!!! at which point she'd be talking to them continuously about everything and growling at the dog. It was amusing when her CHICKS!!! got bigger than she was and still tried to sit under her at night. We had her for a few yrs, then the raccoons came.

Now we've a few white silkies who are moms, none with Mim's personality, but they managed to hatch a bunch of roosters last yr.

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. Given how cookie hisses when something is not right

yes I believe that.

[GillesDeleuze]

7. Is it empathy or group awareness?

Empathy requires some emotional intelligence that isnt directly accounted for in this study. if behavior response is whats being used to report intelligence, philosophy of mind just got rolled back 60 years

[Exultant Democracy]

11. I think that the discovery of mirror neurons belies your contention.

[Critters2]

35. +1. Mirror neurons have changed all kinds of assumptions in cognitive science,

anthropology, sociology...and zoology.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

42. Laying Hens have actually been selectively bred (for generatoins) to have reduced nurturing drive.

Laying hens have been selectively bred for generations to isolate both egg production and reduced nurturing tendancies. Chickens/hens used for meat are bred for size/stock. This is just how it is. Hens that have no focus to nurture don't stress when their eggs are taken. They are also not likely to prevent people from taking their eggs. obviously, this makes farmer's lives easier and indifferent hens produce eggs better than upset hens.

In fact, compared to other laying birds, hens are WAY WAY WAY less nurturing due to this selective breeding. This a big reason as to why it's so uncommon to be able to get eggs from other species of laying birds - it's simply a greater hassle when the birds are nurturing/defensive of eggs. You can eat the eggs of other birds... but don't be surprised if they protest!

It's very easy to influence behavior via selective breeding... even as little as 3-4 genrations can produce notable behavior patterns. Dog breeding research has shown that selective breeding can have a greater impact on dogs' temperment than upbringing or affection. Basically, onl letting docile dogs breed will influence puppies more than changing their environment. It's genetic.

[bvar22]

8. A few years ago, I would have laughed at that idea.

In 2006, my wife & I moved to The Woods and started producing our own food.
Part of that involved keeping Free Range Chickens.
Initially, we saw it as nothing more than a source of uncontaminated organic food.
We quickly fell in love with our birds.
They are much smarter and social than we expected.


We now have a mixed flock of 14 hens and two roosters.

[shireen]

49. nice photo.

that looks wonderful!

[Ernesto]

13. I know my girls love me! nt

[Hawkowl]

14. Animals feel emotions

Why shouldn't they? They have the same biological organs, i.e; testes, adrenals, brains, humans. I think all these scientific "discoveries" are amusing in the fact they are simply "discovering" what are ancestors knew intimately even a hundred years ago, when people had to raise their own food instead of buying it in a supermarket.

[SOS]

22. Of course they do

Humans just tell themselves they don't to feel better about mistreating them.
Rationalizing is probably the number one ability of Homo sapiens.

[guitar man]

23. so after all these years we have the long sought answer

somebody on the other side of the road was feeling down and needed a shoulder to cry on :D

[shockra]

83. Awwww.........

:)

[Vehl]

24. A case for reducing meat consumption

vegetarians have always claimed that animals too feel pain and sorrow and this research seems to support their view.It might be not feasible for everyone to be a vegan/vegetarian, but it sure would help if we humans start eating less meat.

What if one day some super-advanced Alien beings land on planet earth and take a liking to Kentucky fried humans? :hide:
They could use the same argument we use to justify the consumption of meat...that somehow those animals are "lesser" beings and do not have feelings/etc etc

[hugo_from_TN]

26. Why would it not be feasible for everyone to be vegan/vegetarian?

I don't see any barrier other than overcoming one's current habits.

[queenjane]

28. Thank you!

I've even weaned my 82 year old Mom off most meat & dairy. Her doc can't believe how healthy she is, though he's old school and still insisted "everyone needs meat".

[Vehl]

29. Depends on where people live?

It would be hard for an Inuit to be a full vegetarian...given that his/her main source of sustenance revolves around hunting/fishing.
The same might go for some islanders who subsist mainly by fishing.

However imho a distinction should be made between those who hunt/eat meat due to their circumstances and those who eat meat produced for their consumption in factory farms. I'm not saying its impossible for everyone to be vegetarian..but highly unlikely.

I'm mostly vegetarian (except for seafood....never ate meat) and contrary to popular belief there are a lot of yummy vegetarian food out there :D. Having said that...I do not believe that all humans can be vegetarian anytime soon.

[hugo_from_TN]

56. Thanks for the answer.

I hadn't considered the Inuit. :) I understand that due to culture and especially environmental factors in some areas of the world that animal protein has to remain a food source for now. What I don't buy is people thinking that nutritional needs cannot be met with a vegetarian diet.

[GillesDeleuze]

88. false dichotomy

i rarely eat food that is hunted, but i only eat food locally sourced. id rather eat a local pig than spinach from mexico.

[GillesDeleuze]

87. Id rather eat an animal in the winter

than buy spinach from mexico

try living in the north.

[BluegrassDem]

44. I have empathy...for my stomach

I ate chicken last night and it was really good. I was so hungry, I had to empathize with my hunger.

I think it's fine for people to be vegans or whatever, but I don't buy the ethical argument at all. Humans have canine teeth for a reason. I grew up on a farm and my folks would kill chickens with their bare hands, pluck it, and fry it. The chickens didn't suffer or anything. I think it's totally okay to eat meat.

[Vehl]

45. I did not say its not ok.

If vegetarians expected everyone to be as they are, they would be no different from other fundies. (check out my previous post)

However I was merely trying to look at this from the perspective of an animal. Especially one that is being factory farmed(not the free range ones)

I would not say that animals do not suffer anything though. Because, if one looks at the hypothetical situation where Some Aliens eat humans as food...would it be ok for them to say that humans do not suffer anything because they might kill humans with their bare hands..etc etc?

I believe my reasoning was based on the assumption that every living animal feels fear/pain/empathy etc etc...and is not the sole preserve of humans. Sure, I have nothing against people who eat meat. I eat seafood..so I cannot claim to be any better.However I do not believe that the animals eaten for meat do not feel pain/fear/loss. A lot of people(not you) have less of a taboo against eating animals solely because they believe that animals are "lesser beings" and do not have such emotions. The same people who advocate meat eating would balk at cannibals. Technically cannibals and meat eaters are the same; in the grand scheme of things. It is our "species centric" worldview that allows us to make the all-important distinction between cannibalism and meat-eating.

[Exultant Democracy]

47. Well one thing we know is that our level of meat consumption today is unsustainable.

The greenhouse gas emissions alone are enough to make anyone sensible stop and think. When you add in the growing threat cause by mono culture and the unfortunate obesity epidemic it seems clear that something needs to change with the way we eat.

[yawnmaster]

59. I believe as long as the surviving chickens on the farm get some good therapy, it's okay...

Its best not to kill the chicken in front of the others, as the therapy will be harder.
Otherwise a few sessions of group therapy should be okay.

[yawnmaster]

57. I am highly empathetic to someone enjoying a crispy strip of bacon...

I am so empathetic, sometimes my mouth starts watering just like theirs!

[50000feet]

25. OMG, the scientists, the scientists!

What a priesthood. Gatekeepers for the sheep.

[KittyWampus]

27. Is that empathy or a simple measurement of reptilian responses to one's young?

Sorry, but it sounds like the later.

[Aerows]

30. No one that has ever raised animals

or been around them to a significant degree, would ever argue otherwise.

I don't mean slaughter, I mean raise (and possibly slaughter, too - you know like our ancestors did).

[woo me with science]

32. Kinda odd that the most empathetic needs all these studies before believing others can feel.

Hmm.

[Taverner]

36. Aw shit, now I really have to go vegetarian

As I have said before, the vegetarians win the ethical argument.

But quitting meat will not be easy

[undeterred]

37. No. You have to go Vegan.

And that's much harder.

[Taverner]

38. Nah - I don't have a problem with eggs and milk

Yes, some farms treat the chickens and cows poorly. But there are many which don't.

Vegan is harder, the food does taste worse, and its unnecessary

[undeterred]

39. So do you have empathy for the chickens or not?

The vegetarian asks, getting ready to make an asparagus and mushroom omelette...

[Taverner]

41. I do. And I love their eggs.

Nothing split-brain about that

[FedUpWithIt All]

40. They are surprisingly intelligent animals.

Some breeds more or less than others of course. I have a sex sex link hen who is cunning and clever and consistently amazes me with her intelligence. My Buff Orpingtons...not so bright but far more friendly.

One of the greatest joys of being a chicken keeper is watching a rooster dance with unbound excitement and pride over a special treat he has found for his "ladies". Quite a thing to watch.

I am always glad when animals, even food animals, are viewed as the living creatures that they are rather than objects. It can only help for us to review the way we interact with the world around us. And this aspect is a very important one as no body is benefiting from the current way things are done. Not even those profiting. They need this planet to survive as well.

[JoeyT]

43. Yeah, sure.

That's why if one gets a bleeding injury you have to immediately isolate them or the others will peck them to death.

The rest of the group freaks when one freaks because "Live in a big group and hope that coyote eats someone else" is a survival mechanism.

Edited to add: Yes, I think animals can feel emotions. I just don't think chickens feel empathy, unless we're prepared to downgrade the term to the point it's nearly useless.

[flvegan]

46. Makes me wonder

if maybe, and I'm not telling anyone what to do, maybe we shouldn't be eating them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. When Tuky died we saw actual grief from his "brother" cookie

to this day if we mention him in front of Cookie he lowers his head. Parrots don't cry, but if he could.

[mmonk]

52. They need to bottle that and prescribed it to Americans.

[PA Democrat]

53. Proving that chickens are more highly evolved than most Republicans

[pitohui]

54. this is not quite correct, ADULT FEMALE chickens are capable of empathy

in fact, if you click and read, you will see the study concerned only hens (females)

i have never observed a male chicken that i suspected of empathy, they're out to fuck or to fight, they're just not any deeper than that

be careful about the lessons you learn from nature, because some of those lessons shouldn't apply to human beings...

[Ilsa]

58. Thanks for clarifying this.

I went from vegetarian to "no red meat" and only fish and white meat poultry to get my protein up and control my weight better. Maybe I'll consider avoiding hens, but I don't know if I can manage that.

[NoodleyAppendage]

61. Well, that sucks for them. There I just felt empathy for them. Now, off to eat a BIG FAT CHICKEN.

Blah, blah, blah...vegan crap.

J

[JanMichael]

67. How is this story "vegan crap?"

Maybe you just don't want to hear it. If that's the case, why click on it, and read it?

[NoodleyAppendage]

68. Empathy, as we understand it, REQUIRES A FRONTAL LOBE.

There's something called "theory of mind," which is required for an individual to place himself or herself in someone else's shoes. This capacity to exchange is at the heart of empathy. All I see from the cursory description of the methods is a mother hen trying to protect her young, thereby perpetuating her genes. The same distress/protection of young is seen in even lower organisms, but this behavior in NO WAY indicates the presence of empathy. This "study" is a fine example of human's tendency towards anthropomorphism...and I do think it has a vegan subtext.

J

[JanMichael]

70. oh. Thank you. Those silly scientists trying to pull one over on us again! Well

off to the lunch counter at the Creation Museum! See you there!

[flvegan]

71. *snicker*

Good one.

[NoodleyAppendage]

72. I am a scientist.

26 peer-reviewed pubs to my name in neuroscience and behavioral neurology. I happen to know what I'm talking about on this one.

J

[GillesDeleuze]

89. scientists aren't the problem... SCIENCE "Journalism" is HORRIBLE NT

[Tumbulu]

78. Well then we need a new understanding of empathy

and it is ridiculous that anyone ever thought that they do not posses emotions.

Belittling observation of animal behavior displaying emotions as anthropomorphism illuminates the fact that science is hardly unbiased in this area.

It speaks of the fact that industrial animal confinement systems needed to be OK'd by some presumably knowledgeable body of people and animal scientists did just that. Just dismiss what every single person who ever handles these animals can tell you - call it anthropomorphism and move on.

I am not a vegan. I keep 140+ sheep and only about 50 chickens. Free range, on pasture. My main stated goals with these animals is to add topsoil to eroded land, by allowing the herbivores to turn invasive weed infested hillsides into pastures, wool and eggs. I am only 11 years into it. But the animals I share my farm with are endlessly captivating. And there is tremendous variation in individual behavior. Some show empathy for their companions, others not at all.

[NoodleyAppendage]

86. Science is dispassionate and based upon facts.

To make the claim of emotional control/behavior for creatures requires proof and testing of the theory. I think its safe to say that some of the higher primates have emotional capacities, as well as some lower domesticated animals (e.g., dogs). Chickens, however, may not. Just stating the facts as we know it.

J

[madokie]

64. I think most all of our animals can

'ou' meaning the animals of this planet, not the reptillicons though, no empathy has been found there.

[superduperfarleft]

65. Sure is defensive fundie omnivore in here. n/t

[Rex]

69. Wow, that makes chickens ahead of the pact when it comes to GOPers!

As we all know, people like NEWT and RUSH have no empathic abilities. They just know three emotions - greed, hate and anger.

CHICKENS - 1
REPUBLICANS - 0

GO CHICKENS!

[Countdown_3_2_1]

73. Empathy Shemphathy. I'm eating fried chicken!

chickens produce more meat per pound of grain consumed than any other farm animal on earth.

Good enough for me. Empathy may be interesting, but it won't change my table habits.

[Snoutport]

81. poor little chicken

[Motown_Johnny]

75. and they taste good!

[MedleyMisty]

76. They're better than an awful lot of humans then

But this isn't news to me - anyone who lives with other species knows that they feel empathy. I can tell you my cats do. And that they all have unique personalities and are quite intelligent. They are people. And we treat them like people - respecting their desires and their autonomy - and they reward us with love and empathy and sleeping on my pillow. :)

Humans aren't exceptional. We came from the same materials and the same processes as everyone else on the planet.

[Liquorice]

77. Birds are fascinating, and it doesn't surprise me in the least that they have empathy. nt

[Starry Messenger]

79. Can we get them to run for office? n/t

[csziggy]

80. On the other hand, humans who use botox reduce their ability to feel emotions

Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay?
January 29, 2010 by David Tenenbaum

(PhysOrg.com) -- Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to research that was presented today (Jan. 29) to the Society for Personal and Social Psychology in Las Vegas and that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.

<SNIP>

To test how blocking a frown might affect comprehension of language related to emotions, Havas asked the patients to read written statements, before and then two weeks after the Botox treatment. The statements were angry ("The pushy telemarketer won't let you return to your dinner"), sad ("You open your e-mail in-box on your birthday to find no new e-mails") or happy ("The water park is refreshing on the hot summer day.").

<SNIP>

The results showed no change in the time needed to understand the happy sentences. But after Botox treatment, the subjects took more time to read the angry and sad sentences. Although the time difference was small, it was significant, he adds. Moreover, the changes in reading time couldn't be attributed to changes in participants' mood.

More: http://www.physorg.com/news183995939.html

[cliffordu]

82. Moreso than some republicans...

[shockra]

84. Chicken is not a vegetable!

If you give up eating chicken instead of beef you will vastly reduce the amount of suffering in your diet, as it takes more than 200 chickens to equal the meat of one steer.

Or give up chicken first and red meat last on the way to becoming veg.

http://whyveganoutreach.blogspot.com/2010/05/calculating-optimal-advocacy-for-all.html

[MilesColtrane]

85. Non-Scientists Declare, Chickens are Delicious:

...Go Great With Sweet and Sour Sauce