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26 Photos Proving That Hens Are The Best Moms In The Animal Kingdom
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Mothers are awesome. They're caring, loving and can do everything for the little ones. And I'm not only talking about amazing women, but also about all the mothers of the animal kingdom. Hens included.
Hens are known to adopt other chicks and care for them as if they were their own. Farmers have their hens adopt little chicks all the time. But sometimes hens are quick to adopt other animals as well.
Take a look at 10+ amazing mother hens and their tiny "babies". Which one of them surprised you the most?
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Hen Taking Care Of Kittens During Storm
Hen And Dog
That look on her face is priceless. "What? What?! You got somethin ta say ta me?!"
Hen And Her Kittens
Poor thing! There are too many kittens but she is tryng to keep em all warm:)
Hilda The Hen Hatches Clutch Of Ducklings After Sitting On Wrong Nest And Now They're Her Babies
My Cat Had Kittens In The Chicken Coop. When She Is Away, A Nesting Hen Babysits For Her
Hen And Her Adopted Litter Of Puppies
Actually, the puppies' mom is still around, but when momma takes a break, the hen substitutes for her...
Mother Of All
Tiny Goat's Father Rooster (Still Counts)
Chicken Adopted An Orphaned Duckling
'And this, little chick, is how you peck for corn.' 'But mama, my beak-' 'enough with excuses!' 'But mama the pond-'
Chicken Adopts Baby Ostriches
Damn. You know it's cute when I can't decide weather Harry Styles is cuter than this...
Ducklings For Mother Hen
Either the duck is under her wing, or this is the world famous amazing bodiless duck trick.
This Small Cat Lost Her Mother And The Hen Adopted Him
Hen Adopts Litter Of Kittens For Mother's Day
Hen And Her Adopted Litter Of Puppies
The Most Lucky Duckling Of The Planet
Hens are widely underestimated birds. They seem dumb. True. Sometimes they look scary, which is partly because they were actually dinosaurs few dozen million years ago. And let's be honest, not all people find them cute. But lists like this one show these birdies' unexpected side. Many hens made friends with other species and according to different researches they can have best friends. And did you know that thanks to their help some species of birds(like the New Zealand Takahe) were saved from extinction? And of course, remember the tons of eggs hens produce for us along with all this meat! I just want to say that next time you pass by a group of these chickens you can silently thank them for all they did and do for us and I swear, I wouldn't think you've gone mental at all.
We should stop eating animals. They are much better than us.
The animals forgive us meat eaters. FYI chickens as well as many, many other animals eat each other... making them meat eaters also.
No they have greed, jealousy, and hatred. The only issue is there are too many people on the planet. Do your research.
In your other comment you mention cuckoos ahhh well they ain't the best role model they don't build there own nest, they kick other birds young out To die and steal it for themselves!
For me, they're pretty fluffy
(1/2) Indeed, chickens are amazing creatures. I grew up on a horse rescue, and once we retired the rescue, we renovated the barn to raise birds. We had ducks one year, and despite the far that they had an entire section of the barn to stay in, they refused to go inside, even during bad weather. They all got eaten by coyotes over time. However, when we raised chickens, they were hella tough. We generally got a new batch of chicks every year or so to expand our flock, and some hens from our very first year stayed around til our very last. We had payed close attention to their behavior and greed. Cochins have always been deemed to be some of the smarter chickens, and that seemed to be correct. The Cochin hens would protect others from predators, would fight off irritating roosters, and helped to guide the younger hens around our pastures when searching for bugs. One year, we had three hens that worked together to sit on a ton of eggs.
(2/2) These three hens were all bantams, meaning they were some of the smaller breeds. One in particular, which we had named Pumpkin, was a feisty one. We had some problems with roosters (we only ordered hens, but the company screwed up and gave us a lot of roosters), and sometimes when a rooster wants to breed he may kill off hatchlings. We were in the process of getting rid of our worst-behavior roosters by leaving them out of the barn for the coyotes, but some of them knew how to get back in. They are fairly intelligent. This hen, despite being one of the smallest, was able to terrify our roosters, and protect all the eggs she and the others were sitting on. When two of the eggs hatched, she became in charge of raising them. The chicks had caught some sort of infection that caused them to scratch at their necks so much, they had nearly decapitated themselves. We were giving them medical treatment to fix the problem. Originally, the hen would fight us for going near her young.
They don't produce eggs FOR US and don't give us their meat, we take them away from them. Let's take responsibility
They are neat but they provide those things because they are taken care of by Hoomans. So next time you see them don't forget to thank Ppl
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
They are dumb. When a hen is brooding, you can put any eggs under her, or, in this case, any babies. And if you dunk a broody hen into a bucket of water, she'll go back to normal. It's as simple as that.
They are not dumb at all, do your research:just write 'chicken intelligence' on YouTube and see how many studies proved they're pretty smart
No, it's not. They are a bit dumb, you are right, but they are hens, you know. Look at the size of their heads, they are not created by nature to be smart, they are just created to... function correctly. And they might not accept an orphan animal in some circumstances. But true, if you put any egg under her she would be brooding it and then take care of the chick. That's what any bird would do and that's why cuckoos are so successful as a species.
Geez. :D Why the downvotes? It's a fact of life. Chicken are dumb. Even compared to other birds. Even compared to other domesticated fowl.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You have a pay pal account... in the event if you have you can include an extra 1000 a week to your income just working on the internet a few hours a week. check this site Good luck______ http://cutt.us/GiDR8
Look what: I don't know who you and your colleagues are, but I don't have any pay pal account, I'm too young to work and no one, including me gives a damn about your stupid offers. So, Katie, listen to my advice: If you want to win the respect of the Panda society, stop writing pointless comments completely out of the subject and simply forget about Pay pal while on Bored Panda, it's a site about entertainment and subjects to discuss, not work and work offers. Would you do it for all of us, not just me? Thanks in advance.
My favorite thing about this, is how naturally pissed off chickens look at all times lol
Like Angry Birds! True
I think the bare skin around their eyes reminds us humans of angry older people...
Light Brahmas are the worst at that angry look, LOL, but are one of the sweetest breeds! 😅😄
Wish humans could treat each other as well. These animals are crossing species' lines, if we could all cross language / skin / religion/ ability / etc etc. lines to be so kind. ok sorry having a bad day following listening to news about wars.
Nothing to be sorry about. I'm with you. :)
Its nice to see chickens expressing the 'parental love' for others. But I take exception to your title. The are not "the best moms in the animal kingdom." That title is reserved to mammals, who give live birth and nurse the young from day one. This creates a bond that egg layers cannot equal. This is like one of my favorite sayings: The chicken was involved(laying the egg), while the mammal was committed( giving a living part of her body). ;D
What about the echidnas and the platypus then smart ass, there mammals that lay eggs!
Right on.
It's not intentional. Well... not normally I don't think.
John alwys comes across smart ass,or even a troll.In my time here on PB I have learned to realize he isn't.Not sure how he does it's not but
You're still wrong. And boy do you write too many fucking comments on things as well. *rolls her eyes* I've spent a lot of time around Hens and I have seen the very close bonding for myself. So stfu.
I also agree, birds look after their eggs 24/7, keeping them warm until they hatch. Crocs, turtles and fish will never win best parenting of the year. I think it's a crime to see how some humans treet chickens.
actually crocs and alligators are great parents, they care for their babies after they leave the nest, which no other reptiles do.
So great they even eat their own young
I agree !
Hehehe. You said treet. I treat my chickens with a little bit of Rosemary and a bit of Thyme, Salt, Pepper, and a hot pan.
Oh FFS, do you have to be so anal? Just enjoy the story and lovely photos. As a man you'd know all about giving birth.
Yeah, and one of them are actually our mom :)
I am not sure how you do it John, but you always rustle some feathers. Hehehe... See what I did there!
I wish I had a chicken mum.
Fiercest mom in the world. I remember when i was 4yo. I played with one of chick that my grandma have. Then, the mommy came and she chase me.
I will never look at hens again in the same way, they are better mothers than some humans.
Pigeon 'mama' looks like she's thinking, 'they're ugly, but they're mine'
My grandfather kept birds for show and chickens for the eggs. But his pheasants (pretty but finicky birds) would never brood their eggs. So every once in a while he'd just put a chicken on the pheasant eggs. The "adoption" always went great!
Love posts like this. Interspecies motherhood... nature and the Mother Instinct is amazing.
If it fits, i sits....
Shower Thought: What if hens just liked sitting on things, the way cats do?
They are not sitting ON the babies, they keep them under their wings and breast without weighting on them. They're actually not comfortable
Best mom in the world that's what hens are.
Such a warm topic...
Hens are honestly the sweetest animal I've ever had the pleasure of raising. Ever since then they are now my favorite animal and I'd give anything to be able to afford a farm again and raise them.
I think hens are misunderstood. They aren't the "best mother's in the Animal Kingdom"-they are the "best pillow finders in the Animal Kingdom."
Love chickens, they are so sweet and endearing (most of the time lol!)
This is because they lay eggs and all of those eggs are removed by humans so the poor hens are never allowed to be mothers. The way humans treat animals is despicable!
I love every picture!
Actually alligators are the best moms fir a fact but I find it a little harder to agree after seeing these photos
It's like these hens see something small and are like....must keep small thing warm.....need to sit on it.
I suppose this is where the saying comes from : Protective like a Mother Hen.
Love this wonderful post!!
Geweldig om te zien.
Heartwarming
saved my day. god bless the hens.
So cute !
I love hens so much
Pretty sure some of these photos are posed. Rest are adorable.
I love this. Hens are really beautiful and awesomely fluffy.
Good mom, and good food
Kung fu panda irl.
And they ended up gassing like 60 000 of them and throwing away half a million eggs here because some damn chem company decided to put something in their anti lice product that is a danger to public health. >.< Just makes me so damn angry.
Awe that's so cuuuuute. But I still love my chicken nuggets ... that is all I have to say! #sorrynotsorry
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I think it's a shame you can't spell. It's 'Mums' not 'Moms'.
Depends what country /region you are in.
You a brit?
Not in the USA...IT IS MOM. Both spellings are correct depending on your nationality
Are you like new around here??? Whatever, shame on you.
Hens are widely underestimated birds. They seem dumb. True. Sometimes they look scary, which is partly because they were actually dinosaurs few dozen million years ago. And let's be honest, not all people find them cute. But lists like this one show these birdies' unexpected side. Many hens made friends with other species and according to different researches they can have best friends. And did you know that thanks to their help some species of birds(like the New Zealand Takahe) were saved from extinction? And of course, remember the tons of eggs hens produce for us along with all this meat! I just want to say that next time you pass by a group of these chickens you can silently thank them for all they did and do for us and I swear, I wouldn't think you've gone mental at all.
We should stop eating animals. They are much better than us.
The animals forgive us meat eaters. FYI chickens as well as many, many other animals eat each other... making them meat eaters also.
No they have greed, jealousy, and hatred. The only issue is there are too many people on the planet. Do your research.
In your other comment you mention cuckoos ahhh well they ain't the best role model they don't build there own nest, they kick other birds young out To die and steal it for themselves!
For me, they're pretty fluffy
(1/2) Indeed, chickens are amazing creatures. I grew up on a horse rescue, and once we retired the rescue, we renovated the barn to raise birds. We had ducks one year, and despite the far that they had an entire section of the barn to stay in, they refused to go inside, even during bad weather. They all got eaten by coyotes over time. However, when we raised chickens, they were hella tough. We generally got a new batch of chicks every year or so to expand our flock, and some hens from our very first year stayed around til our very last. We had payed close attention to their behavior and greed. Cochins have always been deemed to be some of the smarter chickens, and that seemed to be correct. The Cochin hens would protect others from predators, would fight off irritating roosters, and helped to guide the younger hens around our pastures when searching for bugs. One year, we had three hens that worked together to sit on a ton of eggs.
(2/2) These three hens were all bantams, meaning they were some of the smaller breeds. One in particular, which we had named Pumpkin, was a feisty one. We had some problems with roosters (we only ordered hens, but the company screwed up and gave us a lot of roosters), and sometimes when a rooster wants to breed he may kill off hatchlings. We were in the process of getting rid of our worst-behavior roosters by leaving them out of the barn for the coyotes, but some of them knew how to get back in. They are fairly intelligent. This hen, despite being one of the smallest, was able to terrify our roosters, and protect all the eggs she and the others were sitting on. When two of the eggs hatched, she became in charge of raising them. The chicks had caught some sort of infection that caused them to scratch at their necks so much, they had nearly decapitated themselves. We were giving them medical treatment to fix the problem. Originally, the hen would fight us for going near her young.
They don't produce eggs FOR US and don't give us their meat, we take them away from them. Let's take responsibility
They are neat but they provide those things because they are taken care of by Hoomans. So next time you see them don't forget to thank Ppl
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
They are dumb. When a hen is brooding, you can put any eggs under her, or, in this case, any babies. And if you dunk a broody hen into a bucket of water, she'll go back to normal. It's as simple as that.
They are not dumb at all, do your research:just write 'chicken intelligence' on YouTube and see how many studies proved they're pretty smart
No, it's not. They are a bit dumb, you are right, but they are hens, you know. Look at the size of their heads, they are not created by nature to be smart, they are just created to... function correctly. And they might not accept an orphan animal in some circumstances. But true, if you put any egg under her she would be brooding it and then take care of the chick. That's what any bird would do and that's why cuckoos are so successful as a species.
Geez. :D Why the downvotes? It's a fact of life. Chicken are dumb. Even compared to other birds. Even compared to other domesticated fowl.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You have a pay pal account... in the event if you have you can include an extra 1000 a week to your income just working on the internet a few hours a week. check this site Good luck______ http://cutt.us/GiDR8
Look what: I don't know who you and your colleagues are, but I don't have any pay pal account, I'm too young to work and no one, including me gives a damn about your stupid offers. So, Katie, listen to my advice: If you want to win the respect of the Panda society, stop writing pointless comments completely out of the subject and simply forget about Pay pal while on Bored Panda, it's a site about entertainment and subjects to discuss, not work and work offers. Would you do it for all of us, not just me? Thanks in advance.
My favorite thing about this, is how naturally pissed off chickens look at all times lol
Like Angry Birds! True
I think the bare skin around their eyes reminds us humans of angry older people...
Light Brahmas are the worst at that angry look, LOL, but are one of the sweetest breeds! 😅😄
Wish humans could treat each other as well. These animals are crossing species' lines, if we could all cross language / skin / religion/ ability / etc etc. lines to be so kind. ok sorry having a bad day following listening to news about wars.
Nothing to be sorry about. I'm with you. :)
Its nice to see chickens expressing the 'parental love' for others. But I take exception to your title. The are not "the best moms in the animal kingdom." That title is reserved to mammals, who give live birth and nurse the young from day one. This creates a bond that egg layers cannot equal. This is like one of my favorite sayings: The chicken was involved(laying the egg), while the mammal was committed( giving a living part of her body). ;D
What about the echidnas and the platypus then smart ass, there mammals that lay eggs!
Right on.
It's not intentional. Well... not normally I don't think.
John alwys comes across smart ass,or even a troll.In my time here on PB I have learned to realize he isn't.Not sure how he does it's not but
You're still wrong. And boy do you write too many fucking comments on things as well. *rolls her eyes* I've spent a lot of time around Hens and I have seen the very close bonding for myself. So stfu.
I also agree, birds look after their eggs 24/7, keeping them warm until they hatch. Crocs, turtles and fish will never win best parenting of the year. I think it's a crime to see how some humans treet chickens.
actually crocs and alligators are great parents, they care for their babies after they leave the nest, which no other reptiles do.
So great they even eat their own young
I agree !
Hehehe. You said treet. I treat my chickens with a little bit of Rosemary and a bit of Thyme, Salt, Pepper, and a hot pan.
Oh FFS, do you have to be so anal? Just enjoy the story and lovely photos. As a man you'd know all about giving birth.
Yeah, and one of them are actually our mom :)
I am not sure how you do it John, but you always rustle some feathers. Hehehe... See what I did there!
I wish I had a chicken mum.
Fiercest mom in the world. I remember when i was 4yo. I played with one of chick that my grandma have. Then, the mommy came and she chase me.
I will never look at hens again in the same way, they are better mothers than some humans.
Pigeon 'mama' looks like she's thinking, 'they're ugly, but they're mine'
My grandfather kept birds for show and chickens for the eggs. But his pheasants (pretty but finicky birds) would never brood their eggs. So every once in a while he'd just put a chicken on the pheasant eggs. The "adoption" always went great!
Love posts like this. Interspecies motherhood... nature and the Mother Instinct is amazing.
If it fits, i sits....
Shower Thought: What if hens just liked sitting on things, the way cats do?
They are not sitting ON the babies, they keep them under their wings and breast without weighting on them. They're actually not comfortable
Best mom in the world that's what hens are.
Such a warm topic...
Hens are honestly the sweetest animal I've ever had the pleasure of raising. Ever since then they are now my favorite animal and I'd give anything to be able to afford a farm again and raise them.
I think hens are misunderstood. They aren't the "best mother's in the Animal Kingdom"-they are the "best pillow finders in the Animal Kingdom."
Love chickens, they are so sweet and endearing (most of the time lol!)
This is because they lay eggs and all of those eggs are removed by humans so the poor hens are never allowed to be mothers. The way humans treat animals is despicable!
I love every picture!
Actually alligators are the best moms fir a fact but I find it a little harder to agree after seeing these photos
It's like these hens see something small and are like....must keep small thing warm.....need to sit on it.
I suppose this is where the saying comes from : Protective like a Mother Hen.
Love this wonderful post!!
Geweldig om te zien.
Heartwarming
saved my day. god bless the hens.
So cute !
I love hens so much
Pretty sure some of these photos are posed. Rest are adorable.
I love this. Hens are really beautiful and awesomely fluffy.
Good mom, and good food
Kung fu panda irl.
And they ended up gassing like 60 000 of them and throwing away half a million eggs here because some damn chem company decided to put something in their anti lice product that is a danger to public health. >.< Just makes me so damn angry.
Awe that's so cuuuuute. But I still love my chicken nuggets ... that is all I have to say! #sorrynotsorry
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I think it's a shame you can't spell. It's 'Mums' not 'Moms'.
Depends what country /region you are in.
You a brit?
Not in the USA...IT IS MOM. Both spellings are correct depending on your nationality
Are you like new around here??? Whatever, shame on you.