As caring owners, we can’t help but feel for our chickens, so when one or more of them seem down, it’s concerning. 

Whether another chicken has just died or it simply seems sad, you may start to wonder if chickens can get depressed. 

I know I have, so I researched and checked with my fellow poulterers for an answer. 

Chickens do get depressed, though it’s not in the same sense of the word as humans who have to deal with a hormonal imbalance. Chickens get depressed when another hen they’re close to dies, or they have no fellow birds in their flock. Chickens are social animals and need companions to be happy. 

Read on for all sorts of answers about chickens feeling sad. 

can chickens be depressed

What Causes Depression In Chickens?

Chickens get depressed when other birds in their flock die or go away, especially when they’re close friends with the bird in question. Chickens do make friends and tend to have specific other birds they hang around more often. 

There’s only so much we can do to help depressed chickens. 

The first thing to do is to make sure they have fellow birds in their flock. 

Fellow hens are the best way to cheer them up, but if you have ducks or other fowl, they’ll do too. 

Help your depressed chicken by giving it some extra attention. Feed it by hand or play with it by tossing food around and making it chase the food. 

If you’ve had the chicken a while, it’ll be comfortable around you. If it lets you, petting it down the direction of its feathers is another way to show you care too. 

Sometimes all the chicken needs are time. It may be depressed for only a couple of days or a few weeks. 

Unless the chicken is older, most of the time, all you need to do is give it a little extra TLC, and it’ll return to its happy state again. 

Do Chickens Get Lonely?

Chickens get lonely when on their own; they’re flock creatures, after all. They stay together to keep warm, protect the flock, and entertain each other. Single chickens get bored and pick at their own feathers to break up the boredom, potentially causing self-harm. 

While two chickens are enough to break up this boredom, we recommend you get at least 3 chickens in your flock. 

This will help break up the boredom and avoid potential personality conflicts. It also helps avoid further loneliness if one of them dies. 

In general, a flock of 5-6 chickens works for most families. 

Read more about flock size in our article on how many chickens you need for a dozen eggs per week with tables and advice on how many you should keep. 

Do Chickens Get Sad When Another Chicken Dies?

Chickens get sad when other chickens die. Research has proven chickens are capable of empathy and even exhibit a type of mourning behavior when another member of their flock dies. 

Jo Edgar, in a research study, was able to prove empathetic connections between chickens. 

In one experiment, he simulated baby chick stress and found mother hens responded by showing similar stress and pain. 

He further tested and showed chickens show mourning signs when another of the flock is removed for a long period of time and thought to be dead. 

When a hen dies or is removed, the other chickens will show mourning through some of these signs: 

  • Hanging heads low
  • Hiding on their own
  • Moving less
  • Chirping quieter
  • Calling out the “where are you?” sound

In the worse cases, another chicken particularly close to the missing hen will never recover, refuse to eat, and soon pass away. 

Chickens also know when one of their own is about to die from old age. 

The older hen will go off on its own and not move a lot. The others will come to visit in singles or pairs and seem to say goodbye through quiet chirps and lowered heads. 

How Can You Tell Your Chicken Is Happy?

Chickens show happiness through normal active behavior, chirping, and egg-laying. In some cases, they’ll even purr when you pet them. Other signs of happiness include: 

  • Moving around a lot
  • Pecking
  • Showing curiosity in its surroundings
  • Shiny feathers
  • Flying up to roost or perch
  • Preening, showing off feathers
  • Producing eggs regularly
  • Taking dust baths
  • Purring, chirping, trilling
  • Running up to you when you visit

The best way to keep chickens happy is through the big 3: safe, well-fed, and comfortable. 

If these are in place, they’ll be happy in no time. 

How Can You Tell Your Chicken Is Sad?

Sad chickens tend to separate themselves from the flock and be off on their own. They don’t move around a lot or make loud sounds. Sad chickens are also paler, have poorly kept feathers, wilted combs, and make odd “booting” sounds. 

As we’ve talked about before, chickens mostly get sad when other members of their flock are ill, taken away, or die. 

Stress also makes the birds seem sad, though stress usually manifests more in hiding than lethargy. 

It’s important to be a regular part of your chickens’ lives so you know when something is off. 

Each hen has a unique personality, with some being more sociable and active than others. 

The key to telling when they’re sad is knowing when behavior changes. 

Take the time to get to know your flock on an individual level. 

How Can You Tell If Baby Chicks Are Happy?

Happy baby chicks feel safe enough to do some of the following behaviors: 

  • Sleeping often without jumping awake
  • Peeping regularly
  • Eating and drinking 
  • Scratching and investigating
  • Running up to you

A lot of the behaviors you see in happy adult chickens are the same as what you see in baby chicks. 

They don’t explore as much and focus more on eating and sleeping as they grow. 

Keep things quiet, warm, and safe, and they’ll be happy too. 

Warning! Make sure you provide plenty of water for chicks. Dehydration is one of the biggest killers of babies. 

Learn more in our article on how long baby chicks can go without water. 

How Do You Make Chickens Happy?

To keep your chickens happy, you need to do the following: 

  • Provide safe space
  • Offer access to a pasture or grass to peck and explore
  • Give them a healthy diet and plenty of water
  • Keep the coop free of infestation and well-ventilated
  • Give enough nesting boxes
  • Provide things to play with

Good care is the way to a chicken’s heart. Here are some other articles to check out: