Do chickens fear certain colours?

Skinny rooster · Post by **Skinny rooster** » Sun May 22, 2016 2:42 pm

Lol!! No it's not the colour. Chickens go by sight mostly, they have very little sense of smell and sound is not high on their ability to recognize something. They see very differently than we do. They don't see us as Bob, Mary or Fred, they see you as big green coat/ball cap/black boots creature, so one day when this big red shirt/ straw hat/ brown shoes monster comes into their house... it hits the fan. This is even more amplified if there is only one person who does most of the care taking. Even size makes a difference, the big standards are uneasy if I get new boots, the bantams nearly go into therapy lol.

Chasinthedream · Post by **Chasinthedream** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:03 am

HI had the same problem with rabbits. Wore a red rain coat into the barn once and quickly went back to the house to change.

ross · Post by **ross** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:19 am

Skinny rooster wrote:QR_BBPOST Lol!! No it's not the colour. Chickens go by sight mostly, they have very little sense of smell and sound is not high on their ability to recognize something. They see very differently than we do. They don't see us as Bob, Mary or Fred, they see you as big green coat/ball cap/black boots creature, so one day when this big red shirt/ straw hat/ brown shoes monster comes into their house... it hits the fan. This is even more amplified if there is only one person who does most of the care taking. Even size makes a difference, the big standards are uneasy if I get new boots, the bantams nearly go into therapy lol.

Agree ....

windwalkingwolf · Post by **windwalkingwolf** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:11 pm

I always 'converse' with my birds, but one evening I started to sing along with the radio, and it nearly caused a riot. I've done it since and they've been fine, so I'm inclined to think that they disapproved the song choice (rather than my singing voice), which was Mandolin Rain. :D But that once, they were screeching and flapping and bouncing off the walls as if the mother of all Hawks had just landed in their midst!

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:57 pm

The other day my DH went out to the coop wearing a dark red shirt and got the same reaction as I did. He's a big guy so they really must have beaned freaked! He told me about their odd reaction and when I reminded him of my adventure with a red shirt it clicked...he changed his shirt and they were their friendly happ selves again!
oh the fun of poultry LOL!

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:21 pm

Of coarse after writing the previous post I go out to put the birds to bed and as soon as I go in the cockerels start up, I look down and realize I'm wearing a RED t shirt! Beat a hasty retreat, listening to the noise all the way back to the house, get a jacket on and head back to the coop and guess what, they all settled down back into their evening routine!
Silly cockerels!!!!

Skinny rooster · Post by **Skinny rooster** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:42 pm

So now that you scared them with a red shirt, it will be that way forever lol. It's not the colour, if red frightened chickens, they wouldn't make chick fountains red lol, or most plastic feeders are red. Their way of seeing is odd, they are nearly blind at dusk while we still see clearly, they can see the through plastic sheets I put on the windows for winter where as I can not. They can detect things high in the sky where I need binoculars but at the same time miss things close up. The coolest thing is watching a hen imprinting on her chicks, you will see the eye focusing like a camera lens.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 7:30 am

Who really knows what goes through the minds of chickens?

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:06 am

Yes, the colour itself isn't the problem, just when it's on a large moving beast! Even if it's one they know!
Yup, chicken brains!