kelly61•8d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a kid say chickens are just 'dinosaur descendants' and it got me thinking

I was at the feed store yesterday picking up some oyster shell for my hens, and this young guy maybe 10 years old told his dad that chickens are basically tiny velociraptors. Made me laugh at first but then I sat there remembering how I used to just think of them as egg machines. My old Rhode Island Red, Gertie, she's got this way of cocking her head and stomping her foot that honestly does look prehistoric. Anyone else ever just watch their flock move and see something ancient in their behavior?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelafisher8d ago

Yeah and it's not just the head bobbing. Watch them eat, they grab a peck and throw their head back to swallow, same way a lizard does. My Wyandottes do that freeze and stare thing when they spot a bug in the grass, completely still for like ten seconds then WHAM. Pure predator instinct right there. The way they stomp their feet to scare up worms is straight up primitive too. Makes you wonder how much of that dino brain is still ticking away in those little feathery skulls.

simon3788d ago

Ever notice how they scratch the ground with one foot like they're hunting for something? My buddy Greg has a Buff Orpington that does this weird head bob thing and he swears it looks just like a dinosaur from that old Jurassic Park movie. It's kind of wild when you stop and really watch them.

lane.joel8d ago

The whole dinosaur thing really does hit you different the more you watch them. My old Barred Rock, Henrietta, she does this thing where she freezes mid step with her foot up and just stares at you sideways, and every time I see it I swear she's channeling a little raptor. It kind of makes you feel connected to something way older than us, doesn't it? Like we're getting a front row seat to a living history lesson every morning at the feed dish.