Are chickens really chicken?



 (Photo by Andrei Niemimaki) 

After noticing that her flock of chickens “screeched and ran in a hundred different directions” at the sight of her walking out of the garage with a straw broom, urban-farmer Audrey Pavia came to this conclusion:  Chickens aren’t the bravest creatures on the planet.

Maybe not.  But it’s instant stereotypes like these that enable humans to feel okay about subjecting chickens to conditions that even the bravest of humans could hardly endure.

Conditions within poultry “factory farms” are so bad that compassionate souls have taken to adopting hens who would otherwise be slaughtered when their egg “production” begins to wane.  Most of these “torture camp” survivors live another four years

and continue to lay eggs.  Not only that, they provide many a heartwarming (and dare we say “inspiring”) moment for their new families.

Chickens haven’t always been thought of as “chicken.”  Wikipedia reports that Gallus gallus domesticus was once highly respected.  Having migrated from India to Asia Minor, chickens finally made their way “to Greece by the fifth century BC.”  In Greece, cocks were particularly known for their valor – so much so that even lions were portrayed by Aesop as being afraid of them.

However, even this portrayal is stereotypical.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reports that “each bird has a different personality that often relates to his or her place in the pecking order.  Some are gregarious and fearless, while others are more shy and watchful…”  However, there are some commonalities – ones that may be surprising to folks who were raised on chicken jokes.

According to PETA:  Scientists agree that chickens’ complex social structures and good memories are undeniable signs of advanced intelligence comparable to that of mammals.   Perhaps that is why Jesus favorably references them in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34.

Therefore, it behooves us to be kind to our fine-feathered friends.  For - as Jesus implied in these passages – every hen might be somebody’s brave and protective mother.

Resources

http://animaltracks.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/14/8738282-good-eggs-uk-charity-saves-factory-hens-from-slaughter

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

http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/community-building-and-resources/urban-farm-bloggers/urban-farmer-audrey-pavia/chicken-expressions-lessons.aspx

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/hidden-lives-of-chickens.aspx

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2023:37&version=KJV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2013:34&version=KJV

Copyright December 7, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved