I used to help raise and tend to chickens during my childhood. As adults chickens have an outer layer of stiff feathers on their wings and back which mainly function as protection against moisture and enhance mobility (fluttering, gliding, etc.), but beneath this layer there’s a layer of very soft down feathers which offer insulation against the cold. It’s best to feel how soft their down feathers are when they’re chicks, as their stiffer feathers haven’t grown in yet, but also if you spend a lot of time reaching under hens for their eggs you’ll find that their undersides still have a lot of softer feathers for nesting purposes.
I have been raised living in country, but we have never had our animals, and the neighbours chickens werent willing to get touched, nor could I have taken eggs from under them
Oh I mean, they certainly never invited us to take their eggs. But their pecks of protest were generally easy to ignore. 😅 The more vicious hens required more creative solutions.
They are curious (they want to know if you have any food), so with motivation (seeds, apples…) you can touch them. It took lots of bribes to get this photo, they really wanted only the food.
How soft are chickens in touch? I have never been able to touch one, they always ran away
I used to help raise and tend to chickens during my childhood. As adults chickens have an outer layer of stiff feathers on their wings and back which mainly function as protection against moisture and enhance mobility (fluttering, gliding, etc.), but beneath this layer there’s a layer of very soft down feathers which offer insulation against the cold. It’s best to feel how soft their down feathers are when they’re chicks, as their stiffer feathers haven’t grown in yet, but also if you spend a lot of time reaching under hens for their eggs you’ll find that their undersides still have a lot of softer feathers for nesting purposes.
I have been raised living in country, but we have never had our animals, and the neighbours chickens werent willing to get touched, nor could I have taken eggs from under them
Oh I mean, they certainly never invited us to take their eggs. But their pecks of protest were generally easy to ignore. 😅 The more vicious hens required more creative solutions.
They are curious (they want to know if you have any food), so with motivation (seeds, apples…) you can touch them. It took lots of bribes to get this photo, they really wanted only the food.