Enough Cats - how about Chickens?

[Bartonflyer]

My little flock - outside the back door chez Bartonflyer all wishing they were inside the back door!

[Julian]

*chicken envy*

[clifftaylor]

Mrs Tubby in the foreground looks particulary succulent.

[Kim]

I'd contribute to this thread, but my chicken is ill...

[Arch]

We took some firewood round to MFWHTBAB's neighbour this afternoon, and met their chickens. I like chickens, they were making a sort of conversational soft clucking noise..

[Feanor]

Is the one on the table hopping from one foot to the other, clucking "Ow! Ow! Fuck, it's cold!"

[Bartonflyer]

For some reason they often do seem to like just standing on one leg - I don't think they have a lot of things to think about, so maybe "which leg for the next 5 minutes?" is mental stimulation for them.

They do chatter to you when out in the garden, not too sure what they're saying, probably "put more food out please" most of the time.

Kim, I hope she gets better soon!

[Kim]

For some reason they often do seem to like just standing on one leg - I don't think they have a lot of things to think about, so maybe "which leg for the next 5 minutes?" is mental stimulation for them.

I'm reminded of the uk.business.agriculture "Calculus for chickens" thread...

Kim, I hope she gets better soon!

It's an internet meme, though possibly a UK Deaf community specific one.  I don't really have a chicken.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BpFZre9hQuQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/BpFZre9hQuQ&rel=1</a>

The note-taker's excuse for not being able to do the full session in this documentary was that her chicken was ill.  It was random enough to go viral, in a manner akin to "I took an arrow in the knee".

[Feanor]

For some reason they often do seem to like just standing on one leg

Yes, as do other birds.
It's actually quite an impressive piece of engineering to do so.

Just look at the thing: where the centre of mass is, and how it must be maintained above the foot to prevent it falling over.
The negative feedback from the motion sensors and muscle-effort sensors are driving a servo-system which adjusts muscle output to maintain position.

I doubt I could replicate that electronically.

[Kim]

AIUI some birds do a clever heat-exchange thing with the blood flowing down the leg, to avoid losing (or gaining!) heat through the ground, as well as using the bare minimum of legs necessary.

[Feanor]

Yes, the kids have a book of such things, including "Why Doesn't a Penguins Feet Feeeze" ( other than when they have neoprene overshoes ) and as you say, there are 2 seperate circulation systems and a heat-exchanger.  It was written in a kid's book so it must be true.

[rower40]

I'd contribute to this thread, but my chicken is ill...

Sympathies - My hovercraft is full of eels.

[David Martin]

Our chickens don't sit around thinking about which foot to stand on. They come and peck on the back door till you come out and feed them. Sounds like you are being invaded by woodpeckers.

[TimO]

I could have sworn there was a Gratuitous Chicken Pictures thread, but I can't find it.

We saw a few chickens in the distance today, at the Charles Dickens Primary School, on the Dickens Ride.  They seem to have an Eglu Cube with some chickens in it, but it was hard to tell how many.

[Kathy]

Yes, the kids have a book of such things, including "Why Doesn't a Penguins Feet Feeeze" ( other than when they have neoprene overshoes ) and as you say, there are 2 seperate circulation systems and a heat-exchanger.  It was written in a kid's book so it must be true.

It is true - though I didn't cover it until A level. 

[Feanor]

On the Ullapool sportives on the last couple of years, at the village of Elphin there were roadside banners advertising 'Chicken Fun' !

I've no idea what the 'fun' involved, or whether the chickens were willing participants.

Subsequent ill-advised googling threw up this:
http://www.highlanddiary.co.uk/elphin-chicken-day