Chickens
Chickens all have very different personalities! Some are chatty, others are investigators, and some are protectors of their flock friends. It is important to always ask their guardian first, but many chickens love hugs! What makes all our feathered friends happy is when mother birds can protect and nurture their babies, or chicks, even before they hatch. Chickens are also very social animals who like to spend their days on walking adventures, pecking around in grass, with their flock friends and family.
Female chickens are called hens. Hens like to forage for food outdoors, they like to peck and scratch the ground. They take time to build their nests. They are very curious and social and like to explore their surroundings. They use soil or dust to take dust baths to remove excess oils and parasites. They also like perching above ground. It makes them feel secure, gives them the ability to leave the more crowded ground area and gives them a place to sleep and to keep warm.
Read about the lives of chickens on factory farms
Pigs
If you have spent time with a dog, you already know a lot about pigs! Pigs and dogs are very similar in their need for playing challenging games, getting lots of exercise and even belly rubs. What makes our pig friends happy is being clean. Pigs are very smart and establish separate areas for eating, sleeping, cooling off, and going to the bathroom. Pigs are also highly sociable animals who enjoy spending their days rooting around, cuddling for warmth or security, or cooling off in a bog together. As we mentioned, pigs and dogs are very similar!
Read about pigs on factory farms
Cows
Cows are gentle, smart, friendly animals. Just like people, cows have 2-4 best friends they like to spend their time with. If a cow sees a game being played, it will want to join in on the fun. Cows are happy when they can live and sleep close to their family. A mother cow loves her baby calf very much and just like a human mom, she does not like being separated from her calf. Cows will even take turns babysitting for each other, to keep the calves safe.
See a cow asking a man to to save her calf
Learn how cows and calves live on factory farms
Sheep and Lambs
Sheep are gentle, smart, friendly and sometimes shy, but they also have very good memories (they are very good at remembering). Just like dogs and many other animals, sheep make different sounds to communicate or talk to each other. The females (girls) are called ewes and males (boys) are called rams. Sheep love to be close to their family and friends and like all other animals, they feel emotions. At times they feel happy, bored, angry, sad, lonely or afraid. Sheep moms love their baby lambs and want to care for them and protect them.
Watch this mom and babies reunion.
Then find out what their lives are really like
Turkeys
Turkeys have a bad reputation for being stupid and not knowing enough to come in out of the rain. The truth is that turkeys sometimes cock their heads and stare at the sky even when it is raining. Turkeys are actually quite intelligent. They are really good at geography and can learn the details of really large areas which is especcially useful for finding food. They are always checking out new sights and smells.
See turkeys on factory farms
