# I was wondering... can chickens feel guilt?



## TheKeeper777 (Mar 30, 2016)

Ok so tonight 3 of my chickens weren't letting one other chicken in the house part of their coop! She was cold so I opened the door and talked to them in a stern voice and told them off! After that they let her in! I was wondering is this a coincidence or did they actually understand they were being told off?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I don't know. I guess you'll have to wait and see if they do it to her again.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I don't know if they knew you were scolding them but I'll bet they knew you were not happy with them.When that happens here,I grab the instigator and won't let them in until everybody else is in.After a couple of nights,no more problems.Sometimes you have to remind the chickens who is at the top of the pecking order(you!).


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Whenever a silkie died, the roo would stand at the fence looking for her for days. It was awful. One time my first mama silkie died, and her one daughter went completely catatonic. Would not move, eat, drink, or sleep. I had to put her down because she wouldn't come out of it. So chickens do have feelings.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

I wouldn't be able to answer that question, but I do know I've underestimated the intelligence of animals including chickens. They do learn things and that requires the ability to reason in my opinion. I've had some good roosters over many years, and a good one will break up hens fighting, offer them food before eating himself, and sacrifice himself to protect his hens. A hen will do the same for her chicks.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

TheKeeper777 said:


> Ok so tonight 3 of my chickens weren't letting one other chicken in the house part of their coop! She was cold so I opened the door and talked to them in a stern voice and told them off! After that they let her in! I was wondering is this a coincidence or did they actually understand they were being told off?


Probably either a pecking order issue or perhaps they instinctively know there is something wrong with her. 
Stern voice = you're the rooster or maybe fright/flight. In dogs it would be flight/fight.


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## Wyandotter (Dec 13, 2015)

Yeah I think they can feel guilt. My hen cupcake and redface where friends but they got in fights sometimes and Cupcake the bigger hen always won the fights and ended up hurting Redface. Redface passed a few weeks ago and Cupcake seems to be sad. One day she stayed in the coop all day looking at the spot where Redface had slept the night before, she didn't eat much that day and misses her friend Redface. I feel bad for Cupcake but she has other friends to make her happy. I know that chickens are super smart


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