mother hen: a perfect symbol for mother’s day
Date: May 11, 2006
Humane Society promotes image of hen as caring and compassionate mother
Teaching her young more than 30 vocalizations, clucking softly to her unborn chicks, these are just a few of the intimate expressions of a mother hen’s love for her chicks. This Mother’s Day, the Vancouver Humane Society is encouraging citizens to see the compassionate side of these intelligent and caring birds.
“Most people associate chickens with cowardice and lack of intelligence,” says Bruce Passmore, the Farm Animal Welfare Project Coordinator for VHS. “But a hen’s cognitive abilities are actually similar to cats, dogs and some primates. Their level of love and compassion for their young, however, is really incredible.”
Hens have different calls to warn their young about predators coming from land, air or water, and like most mothers, a hen will put herself between her babies and a predator. When the weather is severe, she will shelter her young under her wing. To help her chicks grow, she will teach them which foods to eat and which to avoid.
“Animals are often used to symbolize a holiday,” continued Passmore. “Easter has bunnies. Christmas has reindeer. Mother’s day should be hens. On a day dedicated to thanking our mothers for the caring role they played in our lives, I can’t think of a more compelling animal to represent a mother’s unconditional love towards her children.”
