October 9, 2024
Chickens show complex emotions by blushing! The latest research findings provide exciting insights into their emotional lives.
Chickens show complex emotions by blushing! The latest research findings provide exciting insights into their emotional lives.
New research findings offer fascinating insights into the emotional experiences of chickens. The birds have the ability to blush – a trait previously thought to be unique to humans.
While we have already learnt a lot about facial expressions in animals such as dogs and horses, understanding the emotions of birds remains a fascinating and largely unexplored area.
Scientists describe emotions as multi-layered responses to environmental stimuli that combine behaviour, physiological processes and cognitive aspects.
In order to understand how chickens express their emotions, researchers observed 17 domesticated chickens on a farm for four weeks. They exposed the chickens to various stimuli, including loud noises, sudden movements and being caught. At the same time, they observed natural behaviors such as eating, resting and preening. With the help of video recordings, they documented the daily behavior and reactions to the stimuli.
During the analysis, they discovered behavioral patterns that allowed conclusions to be drawn about the chickens' emotions.
For the first time, they were able to prove that chickens blush in emotional situations.
The analyses show that chickens can express their emotions by blushing and the position of their feathers. When they feel good, they fluff their head feathers and blush in emotional moments – be it when they are happy, such as when being fed, or when they are stressed, such as when being caught.Notably, blushing is more intense in stressful situations, while it is softer in calm moments and is often accompanied by fluffed head feathers, signaling calmness and security. Cheeks and earlobes play a central role in emotional communication.
The study shows that chickens have different personalities. Some animals are frightened by even the smallest noises, while others remain calm and curious.
This insight emphasizes that chickens must be recognized as sentient beings with their own rights.
The subjective experience of non-human animals often remains hidden from us. This study offers new insights into the emotional expression of chickens. It shows that chickens can feel and communicate a wide range of emotions. The findings expand our understanding of the emotional life of chickens, which has been little researched to date.
New research findings on the feelings of non-human animals not only have an impact on theoretical considerations, for example in animal ethics. They must lead to real consequences for the treatment of non-human animals. The results provide a decisive argumentation aid.
Despite these promising findings, it is important to take a critical look at animal studies.
Even in a “natural” setting, experiments pose ethical challenges. In this study, the chickens were exposed to unpleasant stimuli, such as capture, loud noises or sudden movements. Such stimuli can cause stress and anxiety and affect the chickens' quality of life. Although the research goal is valuable, we must always critically scrutinize the potential negative effects on the welfare of those involved.
These challenges are central to our daily work.
Expertise for Animals is actively committed to using scientific results for the benefit of animals. In doing so, it is crucial to consider both ethical aspects and the relevance of the research results. Our aim is to ensure that the knowledge gained serves the welfare of non-human animals.
We promote a responsible approach to research by focussing on the needs and welfare of animals. Through a respectful and reflective approach, we create the basis for scientific findings to bring about positive changes in the lives of animals.
Arnould, C., Love, S. A., Piégu, B., Lefort, G., Blache, M. C., Parias, C., ... & Bertin, A. (2024). Facial blushing and feather fluffing are indicators of emotions in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). Plos one, 19(7), e0306601. (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306601)
