text and photos by A.A.

Many people have heard about the benefits of therapy dogs, cats and even horses, but what about chickens? Can this common backyard animal bring comfort to people? Wholeheartedly, I believe they can!

Chickens are able to feel a range of emotions, whether it be their own or that of the flock around them. They are extremely intelligent animals, each created with their own distinct personality. Chickens are able to feel positive and negative emotions and can act according to how they feel.

Lori Marino, founder of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, concluded in her article “Thinking Chickens”(Animal Cognition, March 2017), which examined peer-reviewed studies of chicken cognition, emotion and sociality, that:

• Chickens have complex negative and positive emotions, as well as a shared psychology with humans and other ethologically complex animals. They exhibit emotional contagion and some evidence for empathy.