About hens and roosters

Hens may seem funny, noisy, crazy, or fearful, at least that’s how we know them from children’s stories and songs. They are often seen as the symbol of motherhood and protection: there is the expression of the “mother hen” syndrome in people who are overly protective of their children. Not long ago, advocates for the rights of these birds have appeared, proposing the creation of sanctuaries to protect them from the abuses committed by the “dominant rooster”; although, incredibly as it seems, they can choose the father of their offspring with a rather particular system of selection after mating.

Certainly, these little animals are more intelligent and sociable than you might think and do not need the male to lay eggs unless they want to have heirs, since for that they cannot do without roosters. Neither do we in this article: as is often the case among birds, the male is larger and more conspicuous with attractive plumage and a large, showy crest. It may be the combative nature of the male that attracted the attention of ancient peoples who used them as a distraction through cockfighting and, perhaps, as a morning alarm clock.

The females were protected by the Greek gods because they represented fertility and desire (!), so in ancient Greece, they ate only their eggs and not their meat. Under the Roman Empire, they began to be bred on a larger scale for the consumption of both products. When they really became popular in Europe was in the 19th century. During the reign of Queen Victoria, who adored her collection of hens brought from distant countries, clubs, exhibitions, and competitions of the different breeds were created.

All of the species are descended from the gallus bankiva, a wild variety from the forests of southern Asia. When men ceased to be nomadic hunters and became sedentary, about 8,000 years ago, they began to breed them and gradually scattered them throughout the known world. We have news that the first hen arrived in America on the second voyage of Christopher Columbus.

Among the many curious things we can point out about hens is the habit of noisily notifying when they lay eggs and emitting warning signals when there is danger. They can make 24 different sounds and communicate with each other like any social and intelligent animal. They have different personalities; they empathize with some people, especially those they find attractive. They can be “hypnotized” by drawing a line in front of their beaks and remain motionless until they are awakened. They are able to learn certain behaviors based on the experiences of others in their group and to distinguish sets of objects that have a greater number of components.

Despite being the most abundant bird on earth in the world today, it has never been a source of inspiration for artists; in handicrafts, small hens are made of wood, ceramic, or fabric as ornaments for kitchens and children’s rooms.

Here is the onomatopoeic representation of the crowing of the rooster according to the country where it lives:

Chinese : gue-gue or gou-gou
Danish: kykliky
Finnish : kukkokeikuu
English : cock-a-doodle-doo
German: kikeriki
Japanese : kou-kou-kou-kou-kou
Flemish : kukeleku
Polish : kukuryky
Portuguese : cocorococo
Romanian : cucurigu
Russian : kou-ka-re-kou
Spanish : quiquiriqui