8th of January is National Snuggle a Chicken Day :) and introducing my flock, aka "Pitichoos"

8th of January is SNUGGLE A CHICKEN Day

Nop, I'm not making this up ;-) and you'll see in a minute why this date is meaningful to me and deserved a blog post. Curious?

How is the year going so far... This is kind of an unusual post ;-) but as some of you know I have a flock of hens :) my sassy "Pitichoos" or thus I call them and today is National Snuggle a Chicken Day a date that is celebrated every 8th of January to rise awareness about chickens and how they can be worthy of your love the same as other pets. The date has also become an international celebration among homesteaders and chicken owners who appreciate them not only for what they provide.

Yes, I am well aware that for many of you they are livestock or food and I'm not here to preach about that. I've been vegetarian since I was 8 and I eat eggs from my ladies only, but I hope they will have a long happy life even after their productivity span, a life full of cuddles for they are indeed smart, sentient and surprisingly cuddly beings.

Chickens are very smart and sweet. I have ten super sassy and talented ladies "Pitichoos", sometimes "my little dinosaurs".
Yes I have all sorts of strange names "fufunchis" for my rats, "pichuichuis" for the birds, and I present you my hens "pitichoos"

They are no short of amazing, I tell you. They have learnt how to recall their names, fetch a ball, jump a hoop, play the piano, even picking their names out of a card. One thing that has surprised me the most is the outstanding memory of hens.They are not only food driven, they are curious and love to play, and even take pride when they do things right. You teach them one trick and they do remember even many days after, so they're always ready to resume and improve their skills. They also learn by observation, so usually you only have to teach a trick some of the hens of the flock while the others pay attention and learn from them.

Above: Camilla, names after the famous chicken from the Muppets

All my ten ladies have different personalities, and even "faces" and "voices". Did you know that a chicken can distinguish up to 100 other chickens by the facial traits? They also recognize their owner's face among a similar number. It's odd how myself can recognize now the different "voices" of my hens.
Did you know that chickens can show empathy for their flock companions and they too experience rem sleep, meaning they do dream, just like us?
I bet they dream of chasing grasshoppers on tender green grass maybe :) or maybe with my cuddles ;)

They can also recognize their names and recalling them individually is really an exercise of bonding.

They do indeed love the cuddles.

Above: Justina feeling cozy

And just like rats, which as you already know I adore, they're often misunderstood animals and I hope I can show another side of them.

And at least for today... choose kindness

Slow living and chickens... a highlight on my healing journey

So it's not always medieval garments and fairy wings... there are also days with muddy shoes having fun with hens on top of a compost heap :) And that is real life too.
Health last year imposed its pace and somehow I found myself being an old hag hen whisperer and enjoying my hot cups of coffee with my feathery friends.

Justina by the way is the name the trash heap had in Jim Henson's 80s classic tv series Fraggle Rock. Justina was the dubbed name is Spanish and Marjorie in the original version so two of the hens are "Justina" and "Marjorie" to honour this character from my childhood.

Training my hens :

I will likely take some time to edit, but since last year I have started training my hens. They have learned such an amazing amount of clicks, including playing instruments, playing apps on the phone, recognizing their names on paper, counting, jumping the hoop, fetching the ball, spin, and recall. I'm not even joking. They are indeed such a joy to train. I had some experience training my rats aka "fufunchis" so I embarked on the task of teaching them tricks and I'm absolutely astounded and surprised by their ability and memory. I'm even considering opening a social profile for them and show the world what they're capable but what is sure is that you'll see some "guest musicians" in forthcoming songs.
My biggest achievement is that they now "patiently" respect the pecking order I impose and not their own hierarchy, or when I call them out by their names. :) Turns out it's easier to teach a hen to play a melody than to be patient if you have at treat in your hands... but still, they're capable of it.
It is also amazing how they observe and pass information from one to another. So they can actually learn by observing their peers, they can even learn tricks by watching videos.
It may sound a little odd but as I have been filming their progress, you'll see more about it as soon as I can make a proper progress edit :)

Above: Cuddles time... Did you know they purr and vibrate when happy? Just like ratties and cats do?

With appreciation for our feathery friends
They deserve a good life! and gratefulness for what they give.

More about "Pitichoos" soon...

Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com