I’m sure most of you are not like me and wonder about the craziest things. However; I do and one thing I have wondered about is how do chickens see their world? I decided to do a little research and I must say….Amazing is the only word that comes to mind!! The chicken is an incredible and awesomely made creature of God. Let me tell you a little about what I found out.
As far as their color sight—they see colors better than us humans and they see shades of color better than us humans. They have something called a third eyelid which they can close. It operates from front to back. They use this as protection when dust bathing and it moistens the eye. That’s neat but that’s not the neatest thing you’re about to read….
The chickens use their color vision of course to find insects, seeds and other edibles. But, the hens use their color vision to check the health of their chicks. The hen uses her wavelengths of ultraviolet light to check the chicks’ feathers. If the chick has shiny feathers, this means that they are healthy and if not the hen knows this chicks chance of survival may be slim. She will then give more of her attention to the healthier chicks to greatly ensure their survival. This sounds cruel but is a very efficient way of ensuring your offspring survive to grow and have babies of their own.
Before a chick hatches out of the egg it will turn within the shell so that their right eye is next to the shell and their left eye is covered by their bodies. This maneuver causes the right-eye to develop near-sightedness and the left- eye to develop far-sightedness. In having both eyes differently it allows them to simultaneously search for food with their right eye using their near sightedness while watching for predators with their left eyes which are far-sighted. If you watch chickens while they are out foraging if a predatory bird flies overhead they will turn their left eyes toward the sky. Each and everyone of them will do it. Is that not the coolest thing?
Chickens also use their light vision to keep track of the sun and light. It tells them when to go back to roost for the night and tells them when to get up and out to start foraging in the morning.
Chickens are truly amazing beings. Their uniqueness is something very amazing. Come out to the farm sometime and just watch them for a while. We would love it and you would too.
