Lauren Scheuer and Lucy the Barred Rock – photo courtesy of Lauren Scheuer
Whether a chicken has a qualitative conscious state of being is surprisingly a matter up for debate.
Recently, a co-worker told me that chickens do not have any feelings. He went so far as to even doubt whether chickens are fully self-aware. I was dumbstruck by what he was quite seriously suggesting. As he shared his opinions, I could barely stop myself from blurting out, “You obviously know nothing about chickens!” Of course chickens have feelings, as well as personalities, emotions and self-awareness – any chicken-owner can tell you as much. However, upon greater reflection, it struck me that my co-worker is not alone in his sentiments. In fact the prevailing attitude might be closer to his point of view than mine.
Lauren Scheuer joins me this week on the Urban Chicken Podcast, to talk about her experiences raising soulful backyard chickens. Her shared tales of chicken language, humor and compassion certainly contradict any beliefs that chickens lack self-awareness.
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