Fun Facts
CHICKENS:
Chickens are able to comprehend that when an object is taken away and hidden from them, it still exists. Young human children are unable to understand this
Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens
Chickens have panoramic vision of about 300°
*The egg-laying process for a chicken begins in its eye. Chickens lay eggs only after receiving a light cue, either from natural sunlight entering a coop or artificial light illuminating a commercial egg hatchery. The light stimulates a photo-receptive gland near the chicken's eye, which in turn triggers the release of an egg cell from the chicken's ovary
Researchers at NASA are testing a new jet fuel made from chicken fat
The "Chicken Dance" was introduced in the United States in 1981 by the Heilbronn Band from Germany during the 1981 Tulsa Oktoberfest. The song was not actually the Chicken Dance, but "Der Ententanz"—"The Duck Dance." There was not a duck costume to be found anywhere in Tulsa; however, a chicken costume was available at one of the local television stations. The station donated the costume for use at the festival, and the rest is history. At that time the tune was all the rage in Germany.
Just before hatching, a chick turns in the shell so its right eye is next to the shell (and absorbs light through the shell) and its left eye is covered by its body. As a result the right eye develops near-sightedness to allow a chicken to search for food, while the left eye develops far-sightedness, to allow a chicken to search for predators from afar. That is why when a hawk flies overhead, you will notice your chickens tilt their heads with their left eye to the sky.
A chicken's eyes are about 10% of the entire mass of its head (conversely a human's eyes are only 1%) to allow them to see larger and more clear images.
A chicken can use each eye independently on different tasks simultaneously.
Chickens can sense the presence or absence of light through the pineal gland in their brains, so even a totally blind chicken can still sense daylight as well as the changing seasons using the pineal gland.
Chickens possess not only the three basic color cones that humans do (red, yellow and blue) but also an ultra-violet light (UV) cone. This allows them to differentiate between and see far more colors and shades than humans can.
A chickens UV cones in their eyes help them to find shiny bugs, seeds, berries and fruits easily among non-UV reflecting grass and dirt.
A mother hen also uses her UV cones to sense which chicks are healthiest, since growing feathers reflect UV light. She can therefore determine which chicks are growing fastest and strongest, and devote more of her energy to them to ensure they survive, since they have a better chance over weaker chicks.
Back in 1945 every chicken killed in Muzo, Colombia, was subject to examination by a public official. Why such strange law?They removed any emeralds found in the gizzard.
TURKEYS:
Turkeys have 5000 to 6000 feathers.
Benjamin Franklin wished to have wild turkeys as the national bird of the USA, rather than the bald eagle.
The turkey's popularity comes from the American people's love of eating the bird for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
88% of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
The turkey industry employs 20,000 to 25,000 persons in the United States.
The turkey was domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.
* The ballroom dance the "Turkey Trot"was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take.
Turkeys can see in color.
* June is National Turkey Lover’s Month
Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.
Turkey skins can be tanned and used to make cowboy boots and belts
Turkeys can have heart attacks: turkeys in fields near the Air Force test areas over which the sound barrier was broken were known to drop dead from the shock of passing jets
DUCKS:
Ducks have three eyelids
The two most famous ducks in history are Donald and Daffy Duck.
*Donald Duck‘s middle name is “Fauntleroy”.
Ducks feet have no nerves or blood vessels, meaning that their feet do not feel the cold! This enables ducks to swim in icy water, and walk in ice and snow.
POULTRY:
*March 19th is National Poultry Day
EGGS:
*The color of an eggshell is dictated by a hen's breed and genes. A hen lays the same color egg her whole life.
The white of a fresh egg will be thick and gloopy. As the egg ages, the white will start to get runny and thin.
The number on a carton of eggs indicates the date the egg was packaged (i.e. 306 stamped on the carton means the egg was put in the carton on November 1st - the 306th day of the year)
A blood spot in an egg does not indicate fertility. It is merely a bit of broken blood vessel, possibly from rough handling of the egg or jarring while the egg was being laid.
A white 'bulls eye' on the yolk does indicate fertility.
An egg should not be washed until just before using it, to preserve the natural 'bloom' that keeps out air and bacteria
As long as they haven't been washed, eggs don't need to be refrigerated, but will last roughly seven times longer in the fridge than out on the counter.
A hen's diet won't affect the taste of an egg specifically - i.e. adding garlic to their feed won't result in garlic-flavored eggs - but eggs from hens who eat healthy, varied diets will be more flavorful
An egg contains 13 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, unsaturated fats, lutein and plenty of antioxidants plus Omega-3s
In fact, an egg contains every nutrient necessary for life except Vitamin C.
GOATS:
Goats have natural oils that help repel ticks.
Happie, the skateboarding goat, has the world record for longest ride at 118 feet.
The longest domestic goat horns measured were 52 inches tip to tip.
Google rents goats to cut down on brush at Google HQ
100 pounds of goat milk makes about 25 pounds of goat cheese
Goat cheese has about 60% the fat, cholesterol and calories of cheddar cow cheese.
Goats milk is naturally homogenized
It takes 20 minutes to digest goat milk (cow milk takes an hour)
While climbing, goats often play King-of-the-Mountain by trying to push each other to the ground.
* The earliest European settlers of America brought goats over on the Mayflower. By 1630, a Jamestown census listed goats as one of that colony’s most valuable possessions
You may know that a baby goat is called a kid, but did you know that, because of that, a goat giving birth is said to be “kidding”? We’re not… joking.
Even though we drink almost exclusively cow’s milk here in the States, around the globe more people eat and drink meat and milk from goats than any other animal.
Coffee was first discovered when goat herders noticed the animals acting very energetic after nibbling on coffee beans.
Abraham Lincoln’s sons had two goats that lived in the white house with them.
