beautefantasy

vegansofig:

Chickens are grossly misunderstood and abused. I’ve had chickens as pets since I was 7, and they’re really wonderful birds. This post is for them:

1⃣  A hen can live up to 20 years. She will lay eggs her entire life, with the number decreasing every year from year one.

2⃣  It takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg. They can lay up to 60 eggs a year. However, factory farm egg laying hens are mutated to lay eggs every day. Since male chicks cannot lay eggs, they are thrown into the grinder. Over 200 million male chicks are killed every year. However females aren’t given much time either. They’re only given 72 days to live.

3⃣  A chicken finds it very important to have a private nest. She builds her nest by first scratching a hole in the ground. She will then pick up twigs and leaves, which she will drop on her back. Back in the hole she will let the material slide off her back around the rim. Take your average 8.5 by 11 sized printer paper. Now fold it in half. That’s about as much room as an egg laying hen will ever get.

4⃣  Eggs are essentially a hen’s period. They must be fertilized by a rooster in order to reproduce. It takes a chick 21 days to develop in the egg.

5⃣  A mother hen begins bonding with her chicks before they are even born. She will turn her egg as often as five times an hour and cluck to her unborn chicks, who will chirp back to her and to one another.

6⃣  Chickens are very social animals. They will fight to protect their family and will mourn when a loved one is lost. Chickens have complex social structures know as “pecking orders.” Every chicken knows his or her place on the social ladder. Due to their pecking, egg laying hens kept in battery cages will be “debeaked” around 5 weeks of age.

7⃣  Chickens have a great memory and can distinguish between more than 100 faces of their own species.

8⃣  Chicken language has real meaning. The birds give different alarm calls depending on which type of predator is threatening them. 🐔🐤

Chicks before dicks! #vegansofig

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(via melesmelesxvx)