Hens with chicks are well known to be protective and caring of their offspring. Not only are hens concerned for their chicks’ safety and well-being, but they feel empathy, described by scientists as “the ability to be affected by, and share, the emotional state of another”. Scientists at the University of Bristol, UK, exposed mother hens and their chicks to puffs of air. When the air puff was directed at the hens, they reacted with signs of fear, becoming more alert and preening less, and their eye temperature decreased. When their chicks were exposed to the puffs of air, the hens showed all these signs but in addition, their heart rate increased and they made more clucking calls to their chicks - strong signs of their concern.
Mother hens feel empathy for their chicks
Researcher Jo Edgar said: “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.”
The researchers used chickens for this study because in commercial farming, as they pointed out, “chickens will regularly encounter other chickens showing signs of pain or distress due to routine husbandry practices or because of the high levels of conditions such as bone fractures or leg disorders.”
Scientists have also found that hens can anticipate future events based on previous experience, and make judgements accordingly; they have over 30 different calls for clear communication with each other; and chicks can count! But these abilities and the sentience of hens and chickens are sadly disregarded in commercial farming conditions. Today’s study on hens and empathy gives yet more weight to the urgent need for more humane farming systems, in which animals can carry out their natural behaviours. Animals are sentient beings, and what happens to them, matters to them.
For information about farm animal welfare and how you can help end factory farming, please visit Compassion in World Farming.
Sources:
The foundations of empathy are found in the chicken. University of Bristol press release, issued 9 March 2011. http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2011/7525.html
‘Avian maternal response to chick distress’, J L Edgar, J C Lowe, E S Paul, C J Nicol, published online ahead of print Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 9 March 2011
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, chicken, Communicating, Emotions, empathy, hen, Intelligence, maternal bond, Natural behaviour, sentience
Posted in Chickens & hens, Emotions, Maternal care, sentience | No Comments »
Following on from our post on the 6th November about Jasmine and Alfie, here are two more stories about care of young animals by other animals. This time it’s the turn of the grandmothers to teach us a thing or two about caring for animals. One of Compassion in World Farming’s supporters kindly supplied us with this story. Her neighbour gave a home to two generations of goats. When the youngest had her goat kid, she didn’t seem to know what to do. Even though the goat kid was repeatedly shown where to suckle, the two just didn’t seem to connect.
The grandmother saw what was happening and stepped in to help, even producing milk for the youngster. From then on she took it in turns with the mother to care for the kid, being there to support the mother goat and also ensure the kid had plenty of food.
Across the generations
Another example of grandmothers helping out was in the news last week. Researchers in Japan had been observing free-ranging macaque family groups when they noticed some interesting situations. A grandmother macaque took over the care of her grandchild when the mother disappeared; carrying, grooming and allowing her to suckle, although the researchers believe she didn’t produce any milk. Perhaps letting the baby macaque suckle may have been an act of reassurance for the youngster.
When the mother returned after a period of time (believed to be 6-14 days) she resumed her duties in caring for the youngster. Another grandmother was witnessed ‘sharing care’ with a struggling mother, and this time was believed to be producing milk as well.
A key feature in all of these stories is the fact that the grandmother was prepared to get involved quickly if needed, but was not overly possessive of the youngster. In both cases they seemed happy to share care with the mother, or hand the infant back when their job was done. This shows sensitivity to the needs of the situation, and more flexible thinking than if they were to simply ‘take over’ an abandoned youngster.
Sources:
BBC News – Grandmother Monkeys care for baby
Nakamichi, M., Onishi, K. and Yamada, K. (2009) Old grandmothers provide essential care to their young granddaughters in a free-ranging group of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata)Primates, Online first. 10.1007/s10329-009-0177-7
Tags: Emotions, goat, Intelligence, loyalty, maternal bond, monkey, mother, sentience, understanding
Posted in Communicating, Family bonds, Maternal care, Monkeys | No Comments »
The importance of the relationship between a ewe and her adopted lamb. Image copyright Compassion/Elli Goodlet.
Janet Taylor of Farm Animal Sanctuary near Worcester told us this touching tale of two sheep. Jasmine was a mature ewe who hadn’t had a lamb for 6 or 7 years. A group of newly rescued sheep moved into the field next to her, including some orphaned lambs, and over the next few days she began calling to one orphan named Alfie. He was calling back to her and eventually Janet decided to put him over the fence to be with her – and see what happened.
Alfie began to try to suckle Jasmine, as he would have done his biological mother, and Jasmine let him do so. Janet felt that at least this would provide him with the comfort of contact with a ‘mother’ but continued to bottle-feed him. Amazingly, Jasmine began to produce milk herself and was able to feed her newly adopted lamb as her own.
We have heard about a number of female animals who have adopted and fed orphaned youngsters. This even happens across species; for example, pigs are known to have adopted newborn puppies.
This shows the strength of both the maternal instinct and the need to have care from a mother figure. Perhaps all the species we commonly farm have this need but sadly, they are often denied it. In the light of our modern scientific understanding of animal sentience, Compassion in World Farming believes that farming policy and practice must take full account of animal sentience – as is required by European Union law.
Tags: adoption, animal farming, communicatio, Emotions, lamb, maternal bond, mother, orphan, sanctuary, sentience, Sheep, suckling
Posted in Family bonds, Maternal care, Sheep, Uncategorized | No Comments »
The hens and chickens that we farm are descended from the jungle fowl of south-east Asia. Jungle fowl and domestic chickens make over 30 different calls, which they use to alert their group members to a threat or to food, for example. Chicks start communicating with their mother hen while they are still in the egg and cockerels make a “food call” to let the hens know that food has been found.
Cockerels tell the hens in their group about tasty food. Image: Compassion/Xiao Shibai
Scientists used to think that only a few mammal species could really understand the meaning of different calls and grunts. Now, research is showing that hens and chickens have a more advanced use and understanding of language than scientists expected.
Recordings of cockerels’ food calls were played back to hens, either straight after they had received three corn kernels to eat, or after they had not received anything to eat.
In response to these recorded calls, the hens only went to look for food if they had not eaten any corn. The hens who weren’t hungry ignored the calls! They didn’t just go and search for the food as an automatic response to the call.
This shows that they understood that what the call meant and could make an intelligent response to it.
Other researchers found that hens were prepared to wait longer before eating a tasty treat, if they knew that waiting for longer would mean they received a bigger number of tasty treats.
Hens and chickens are no ‘bird brains’!
Tags: Compassion in World Farming, Natural behaviour, sentience
Posted in Chickens & hens, Communicating, Farm Animals, Maternal care, Natural behaviour | 2 Comments »
In commercial farming, young animals such as piglets and dairy calves are separated from their mothers at a very young age. The weaning age and the rearing conditions can affect the physical health and the welfare of these very young animals.
This sow and her piglets benefit from better animal welfare conditions. Image: Compassion/Martin Usborne
Animals reared in more interesting, ‘enriched’ conditions are more settled and confident with their companions, and female animals seem to take more easily to rearing their young (when given the opportunity). For example, piglets who lived in outdoor enclosures before and after forced weaning had fewer problems than piglets in barren indoor conditions.
Young piglets need their mum
In intensive farming piglets are removed from their mother between 2-4 weeks of age. At this age they are still dependent on her for feeding, mothering and protection. A more natural weaning age would be 3-4 months.
The younger the piglets are when they are removed from their mothers, the more they squeal for her, try to jump out of the pen and rub their noses against the bellies of their companions, which can cause injuries. The piglets are probably looking for their mother’s udder or to gain physical contact with her.
This frantic behaviour is not seen in 8-week-old piglets in a semi-natural environment, but is commonly seen in commercial farms world-wide.
Dairy calves
Dairy calves in commercial farms are usually separated from their mother at only a few hours old, but natural weaning would take place at 9-11 months old. Often a cow whose calf has been taken away will walk up and down in an agitated way, calling out and apparently looking for her calf. Calves too often appear distressed at this time.
Researchers also looked at the long-term effects on the calf of separation in this way.
If calves are removed from their mother as new-borns, they may not call out for her so much, but their health and long-term development can be affected. If they are taken away from their mother after a longer time spent with her, they may be more distressed at the time, but their long-term development may be better and they may have more confidence to cope with new situations.
The vital bond between mother and young. Image: Compassion/Karen Playford
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, Cattle, Compassion in World Farming, emotion, Natural behaviour, sentience
Posted in Cattle, Communicating, Emotions, Family bonds, Maternal care, Pigs | 1 Comment »