Source: The Guardian
New research in France has found that hens can blush and display facial expressions, challenging Mark Twain’s notion that only humans blush. The study, led by Aline Bertin from the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, discovered that female chickens blush when scared or excited and fluff their head feathers when content. This research, published in Plos One, involved filming the behavior of two groups of hens—one from a commercial farm and the other from a private breeder—during various emotional scenarios.
The hens’ facial skin reddened in response to fear or excitement, such as being picked up or hearing a threat, while feather fluffing indicated relaxation. This groundbreaking finding could provide farmers with a reliable way to assess and improve the emotional welfare of their flocks, with indicators like low redness and spiked feathers suggesting a happy, relaxed state. Dr. Paul Rose of the University of Exeter praised the study for its potential to enhance animal welfare assessments.
Read the full story HERE: https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/24/hens-blush-scared-excited-researchers-find