Having endless conversations with chickens was one of my early childhood hobbies. It was a time of sharing. Not exactly a symbiotic relationship, though I suppose my stories did relieve my friends from the stress of being egg-bound!

Now, decades later, my hobby continues.

From the chirping of cute little chicks peeping out from under the warm feathers of their mother to the happy crooning of adult birds when the swell in their crop shows that all is well, to the synchronised clucking of agitated chickens, hens express many emotions through their voice and behavior.

Happy hens lay eggs! One of the signs that a hen is happy is when they bask in the sun without a care in the world, sometimes twisting and turning, getting loose mud and dirt into their feathers.

Hens have a strong sense of hierarchy or pecking order, which can turn contentious at times. Giving hens enough space to run around and providing objects for them to stay busy takes their mind off the ranking system.

Roosters can be very caring. I’ve often seen a rooster guide his favourite girl to a safe place and wait patiently by her side, cooing sweet nothings while she lays her egg.

Don’t get fooled by the caring nature of a rooster though! They can be really fierce, employing the ‘3S’ strategy in attack – surprise, speed and strength. Pecking savagely, scratching with their sharp claws while simultaneously whacking hard with one wing! I must admit it was fun to watch this happen to a friend at our home, who turned and fled with the rooster chasing him!

A brooding hen is the epitome of patience, as she sits for 21 days on her eggs before they hatch! And like any mother, a mother hen is very protective of her chicks and will viciously attack any predator.

Walnut, who was perhaps a queen in her previous life, was very selective about where she laid her eggs. My job was to open the door for Her Highness and allow her to stroll into our living room. She would then daintily jump onto the couch, lay her egg and traipse away, beak in the air!

Unfortunately, sickness is all too real with hens. Initially, we used to take our hens to the vet for medication. It would work sometimes, but more often than not the poor hen would succumb. Nowadays, Latha treats them with a mix of natural herbs and a pinch of paracetamol. Works wonders! For physical wounds, we have a medicinal herb locally called, ‘murikooti’. It sterilizes and heals wounds in 24 hrs flat! If only the tribals who taught us these wonder treatments knew about patents!

I’ve noticed hens go quiet when we give away one of their mates or one goes missing.  And it’s not just their own that they remember and miss. I was witness to a rooster flying into the arms of my niece when she met him after a year’s gap!

Over the years, chatting with chickens helped me understand them better. Now I know that chickens crossed the road to cheer us with their (not-so-silent) companionship, and yes, give us fresh eggs as well!

Dedicated to my dear mother whose love for her hens was surpassed only by her love for her husband and five children.

Philip Peter