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100x this. If they had control over their pooping(and they don't, and I don't believe they can be trained in any way, it's just how their physiology works), the

100x this. If they had control over their pooping(and they don't, and I don't believe they can be trained in any way, it's just how their physiology works), they would be absolutely awesome pets.

freehorse 1y ago
Chicken diapers?
- gambiting 1y ago
  They do exist apparently! https://bitchinchickens.com/2023/04/03/chicken-diapers-dos-donts/ https://bitchinchickens.com/2023/04/03/chicken-diapers-dos-d...
- gadders 1y ago
  As someone else said, they exist, but I'm not sure what the appetite is for this.
gadders 1y ago
People have claimed to have done it, but not convinced.
raverbashing 1y ago
They can't Fun biology fact: birds can't control their n.1 and n.2 because anything that they would potentially store would make them heavier for flight
- OptionOfT 1y ago
  You can teach them to empty on command. Often done with parrots so that they're empty before you put them on your shoulder.
- gadders 1y ago
  I did hear that birds evacuate as part of the muscle contractions required to get airborne.
LeifCarrotson 1y ago
I've observed that they generally choose not to defecate on their eggs, and they spend a lot of time in their nests, so they at least have some awareness if not control of the process. I'm skeptical that they can be considered "pretty smart" - your expected intelligence level has to be pretty low to be surprised by a chicken's brain. If you anticipate little more than an unfeeling, unthinking plant - yeah, they've got emotional and social capacity, will bond with humans, and they can occasionally be clever when sufficiently motivated, but they're not the sharpest bulbs in the barn.
- gadders 1y ago
  >>I've observed that they generally choose not to defecate on their eggs This is a fair point. My coop has 6 nesting boxes, and it definitely seems as if one or two are designated "toilet cubicles". >>I'm skeptical that they can be considered "pretty smart" By "pretty smart" I'm not talking dolphins or chimps. I think they are at least as smart as a comparative pet such as a rabbit or a guinea pig. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-startling-intelligence-of-the-common-chicken1/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-startling-int...

100x this. If they had control over their pooping(and they don't, and I don't believe they can be trained in any way, it's just how their physiology works), they would be absolutely awesome pets.

freehorse 1y ago

Chicken diapers?

gambiting 1y ago
They do exist apparently! https://bitchinchickens.com/2023/04/03/chicken-diapers-dos-donts/ https://bitchinchickens.com/2023/04/03/chicken-diapers-dos-d...
gadders 1y ago
As someone else said, they exist, but I'm not sure what the appetite is for this.

gadders 1y ago

People have claimed to have done it, but not convinced.

raverbashing 1y ago

They can't Fun biology fact: birds can't control their n.1 and n.2 because anything that they would potentially store would make them heavier for flight

OptionOfT 1y ago
You can teach them to empty on command. Often done with parrots so that they're empty before you put them on your shoulder.
gadders 1y ago
I did hear that birds evacuate as part of the muscle contractions required to get airborne.

LeifCarrotson 1y ago

I've observed that they generally choose not to defecate on their eggs, and they spend a lot of time in their nests, so they at least have some awareness if not control of the process. I'm skeptical that they can be considered "pretty smart" - your expected intelligence level has to be pretty low to be surprised by a chicken's brain. If you anticipate little more than an unfeeling, unthinking plant - yeah, they've got emotional and social capacity, will bond with humans, and they can occasionally be clever when sufficiently motivated, but they're not the sharpest bulbs in the barn.

gadders 1y ago
>>I've observed that they generally choose not to defecate on their eggs This is a fair point. My coop has 6 nesting boxes, and it definitely seems as if one or two are designated "toilet cubicles". >>I'm skeptical that they can be considered "pretty smart" By "pretty smart" I'm not talking dolphins or chimps. I think they are at least as smart as a comparative pet such as a rabbit or a guinea pig. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-startling-intelligence-of-the-common-chicken1/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-startling-int...