Fact Friday: Chicken Vision - Colour

Not only do chickens see in colour, but in many ways, these wonderful little birds have better vision than us humans! We have three different cone types (colour sensing cells) in our eyes, which means we can perceive red, green, and blue colours. Whereas chickens have an additional two cone types and can also distinguish violet and ultraviolet light. This means they can differentiate between and see far more colours and shades than humans can!

The UV cones help them to find the shiny insects, seeds, berries, and fruits they like to eat easily among non-UV reflecting grass and soil - and most importantly the safe foods for them to eat. Colour is so important when working out the difference between something potentially toxic or safe.

A mother hen may also use her UV cones to sense which chicks are healthiest, as growing feathers reflect UV light. She can then determine the chicks who are growing fastest and strongest and devote more of her energy to them to ensure they survive.

This also means that roosters can see the sunrise and will begin to crow about an hour before you can see the sun. Throughout history, before mechanical alarm clocks were invented, roosters served as alarms waking us up at dawn – and rooster’s crows are particularly loud, reaching between 50 and 60 dB!

Sadly, therefore thousands of roosters are abandoned every year and this is why you will see so many rooster residents here at Brockswood. Aside from the fact that male chickens are unable to produce eggs and so do not serve the purpose that many backyard keepers want them for, they can also be very noisy and cause complaints from neighbours who don’t appreciate their crowing so early in the morning. We are so grateful to our neighbours who so kindly accept our rooster family here.

Henry, one of our rescued roosters.

Speaking of roosters, the spectrums of colours that we can’t visibly see are visible to chickens as distinctive marks on their face and feathers. Roosters will display vibrant and fluorescent colours on their combs (the fleshy part of their head) and plumage to attract potential mates. These differences also help them to tell each other apart, like you and I can easily tell the difference between one another!

Chickens see a rich and colourful world. Doesn't that make it all the worse for those poor chickens locked in tiny cages and barns, unable to put this amazing sense to use and see the beautiful world around them, with the many colours and shades of nature that we can only dream of?

Thank you for helping to colour the world for our chicken residents!

Fact Friday: "Sweat Like a Pig"

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “Sweat like a pig”? Well, as with most phrases associated with pigs, this is completely misleading!

As mammals, just like us humans, pigs need to cool down when their body temperature becomes too high. One of the ways we and some other animals (particularly horses) cool our core temperature is to produce sweat. Pigs cannot do this and so must find other ways to cool themselves in the warmer weather! So, how do pigs cool down?

Have you ever seen a pig wallowing in mud? When pigs lie down and roll around in the soft mud, they benefit from the cooling temperature as the area under the earth’s top surface is much colder since it is protected from the sun.

When we sweat, the moisture released from our sweat glands evaporates on our skin, helping to cool us down. Pigs may also submerge themselves in water to mimic this effect. If the water is cold, it will help reduce their body temperature, and the water evaporating off their skin will help to cool them down in a similar manner to sweating – that said, all pigs are different and we have known pigs who have loved refreshing cold showers under the hosepipe and long baths, while others would run straight to bed with the slightest rainfall and avoid stepping in even the shallowest of puddles. They’re all individual, just like us!

Pigs are often thought to be dirty animals and you might think this after seeing them covered in mud, but this really couldn’t be further from the truth, they’re simply using nature’s cooling pack (oh and that mud has the added benefit of protecting their very delicate skin from the harmful sun rays, and even smothering any nasty parasites that might be trying to hitch a ride on them too!).

We had to teach our lovely Bonny how to wallow when she joined us, but she soon got the hang of it!

Be sure to watch out for Harry and Hermione cooling down next time you visit on a warm day – or see if you can spot the evidence of their last bath, there’s a reason they have so much mud in their paddocks! They are the lucky ones, as pigs without ready access to mud and water to wallow in may sadly be forced to use urine and faeces for the same purpose - something these naturally clean animals would want to avoid at all costs, which is why it is so important to understand the needs of the animals we care for and give them the sanctuary they deserve.

Fact Friday: Donkey Ears

Thank you so much for your positive feedback to our first Fact Friday! This week's fact is in honour of Jackie, one of our wonderful supporters who inspired us with her lovely profile picture featuring our handsome donkey, Duke!

The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns called them the “Persons with long ears”, and he wasn’t wrong! Horses are famous for their long faces and while their appearances are similar, there’s no missing the difference between the long ears of a donkey in comparison to a horse. So, what is the reason for these lengthy auricles? (The visible part of ears outside of the head).

Can you see the big difference between Duke & Callum's ears?

Wild asses such as donkeys originally evolved in arid locations in Africa and Asia, and their bodies adapted to life in this environment! As you might expect, these large ears serve them superbly for hearing, and living in the desert this means they are able to hear other donkeys calling over the wide expanse of the area – particularly useful as unlike horses who tend to graze in herds; donkey herds spread out to graze due to the sparsity of grazing areas available across the dry desert land. A donkey is said to be able to hear another donkey’s call from as far as 60 miles (96.5km) away in the desert! This is also particularly useful when alerting each other about the presence of predators in the area who might be creeping up on them.

They can move their ears in different directions to pinpoint where a sound is coming from, and they are also able to use them to communicate how they are feeling, just like your dog might – what might both ears straight up and alert mean? Ears flat back?

What you may not know is that their ears are also perfectly adapted for helping them to keep cool as well, another nod towards their original desert home! The larger surface area helps to dissipate heat by releasing warmth from their body into the air by the presence of blood vessels across their ears.

Their ears are so sensitive, they can even hear your heart beating when you are near them. This keen hearing ability means that they can pick up on subtle messages that your body will give out to them without you even realising, such as being able to sense if you are agitated or nervous as your heart rate increases. So, remember this as you approach a donkey! Try to stay calm, be quiet and gentle and help them to feel your kind intentions towards them with their amazing senses, because you are literally sharing your heart with them.

So, next time you see Duke’s big floppy ears, remember, those ears are highly evolved for several purposes, and just two of the things that make him so very special!