Are chickens capable of emotions?

I was remembering a last year when i had one hen die and about a week later her daughter died. When i went to pick the daughter out of the coop she was perfectly healthy and had a crop full of food. The days after the mom died the daughter kept running back and forth to the barn(thats were we put the chickens on the way out). I came to the cunclusion that she died of a broken heart. Is this possible?

Hatred. That is an emotion, isn't it! My story isn't as sweet as yours but l had an Australorp roo that HATED me. He was delicious.

Also fear

Annas Bantam coop is currently a refugee camp for a couple roosters and drakes that get beat up and scared of the higher ups!

But more seriously, they are capable of recognizing each other, so should be capable of missing a familiar face, don't know about mourning though.

The pullet that died was really nice. I was thinking about bringing her to red deer for the poultry show. I also had a mean bantam buff brahma, when ever somebody screamed he would chase them till they were out of breath. My sister found this out the hard way.

Sultan, have you heard of the book, "When Elephants Weep"? Here is a blurb on the author: http://jeffreymasson.com/books/when-elephants-weep.html It's not just about elephants' emotions.

I believe all animals are capable to some extent, depending on the species, of experiencing emotion.

Yes I do think they feel emotions. Why would we be the only species to do so?

My rational is that each species can sense and express emotions, but not in the way we humans do. As we are consider higher level thinking animals we have a more varied way to express our feelings. Animals don't complicate things. I feel their emotions are more basic and for the moment.

Have you ever watched a hen and roo that dig each other? My Buffy [Polish hen] used to have a roo named Sul [Sultan.] When all the other birds would be off dust bathing in the coop or digging around, Buffy would often be with Sul. He would be standing and she would rub herself into his chest and slowly their heads would meet. Their poms would blur into each others. They would stay there like that for minutes on end seemingly oblivious to all the activity going around them.
When Sul died, it was years before Buffy picked another roo to be her boytoy [she is around 9 now.] When she was 6, she picked a young cockerel that was only 3 months old. She began preening him. She will often sleeps with Bradley pressed up to him, pom to pom and makes very low chorling noises to him very much like she used to do with Sul.

I remember years ago, in a Philosophy course as an undergrad, reading about the "great" philosopher Descartes, who believed not only that animals don't have emotions, but that they feel no pain. Even back then, in the 70s, I thought "what an idiot". I still do.

Anyone who's seen an adolescent roo chasing a hen who is definitely not interested in her, or an adult roo scanning the sky for hawks, or a mother hen with her new chicks (maybe only mothers get this one? not sure) KNOWS that chickens have emotions.

I believe all animals feel and have emotions, even Turkeys I took the FR's out of the coop they were sharing with the Turkeys and the silly turkeys were all crying and carrying on for quite some time missing their friends

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That was such a sad story Sultan. I'm sure they have emotions. I think I'll hug my chickens today. Even Slasher the rooster if I can grab him.

Seriously though, they have emotions I'm sure. They all have different personalities, I love watching them I could sit and enjoy my flock all day.

Pluckylady

yeah it was sad. i still remember her little face

yes she was my chicken Peggy was her name and she sadly died 3 years back I still miss her I had her since she was a chick