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Curiosities

The animals raised for human consumption are sentient and have different degrees of intelligence and perception of their environment. Check out some curiosities below:

Chickens

Chicks of only 5 days old are capable of performing calculations of addition and subtraction.

Hens can produce at least 24 different types of sounds, including alarming for different types of predators and situations of danger. Other hens in the group react specifically to the different sounds, showing that they understand the meaning.

Mothers who watch their young being exposed to unpleasant situations, even if they are not experiencing it themselves, show significant emotional changes, such as increased heart rate.

Some breeds of chickens, like Araucana and Ameraucana, can lay blue and green eggs.

When it starts to get dark, they tend to move somewhere higher up to rest protected from predators.

They take dirt/sand baths for the maintenance of their feathers and to get rid of parasites as mites, lice and fleas.

Approximately 90 minutes before laying their eggs, the hens look for material and a place to nest. The place must be protected, calm and comfortable.

Cattle

Cows establish groups with whom they develop affective bonds, being able to recognize up to approximately 100 individuals;

They lie down on the ground when they sense a storm is coming.

Pigs

Pigs do not have functional sweat glands and as such they do not sweat. This makes it difficult for them to dispose of heat, necessitating cooling mud baths or cooler environments

The sense of smell is their most developed sense.

When it comes to the sense of touch, their snout is the most sensitive part. It plays a very important part in exploring the environment in search of food, to carry and push objects and to interact socially.

Commitments

Various food companies that use products of animal origin, such as eggs and pork, have made public commitments to adopt animal welfare measures in their production chain. See what these commitments are.

Laying hens