this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] Xanthrax@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I've seen chickens do this to other chickens. It's normal for them to peck at each other a bit, but if they see blood, they go crazy. They also eat eggs sometimes. Chickens, though

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Chickens actively hunt and eat mice, as well. I've actually seen one of my chickens find, slam around until dead (I fucking hope it was dead anyway), and swallow whole a mouse.

Brutal little creatures. They would 100% kill and eat you if they were big enough/ you were small enough.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Humans are a very fortunate size, aren’t we? A little bigger, and we’d be extinct like most megafauna. A little smaller, and our place on the food chain would be very different.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

You know that we are megafauna. And the extinct megafauna had the misfortune to be either good eating for H. Sapiens, or were too dangerous to us to let live

[–] macros@feddit.org 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You know the reason why most of the recent megafauna went extinct? (Mammoths, big birds, giant sloth, saber toothed cat, ...)

[–] MrShankles@reddthat.com 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Their feet got too big for their boots?

[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

They got too big for their britches?

[–] Quantenteilchen@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Dinosaurs, ey?

(Quick edit: As I am not close enough to biology this statement may be incorrect as chickens may not technically belong to the category [whichever level and correct name it may be/have] of dinosaur. In this case I am sorry for perpetrating this misinformation)

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Avian dinosaurs certainly existed, it isn't inaccurate to just call them dinosaurs.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Chickens typically eat eggs when they have a vitamin deficiency, although that's why typically obligate herbivores will sometimes eat baby birds and small rodents.

One thing to think about is that all birds are descended from a common ancestor that is carnivorous. Every omnivorous or herbivorous bird evolved that diet from ancestors that primarily ate animal products.

Just goes to show that with enough time, life finds a way to make use of biomass all around it, even if it means evolving away from an ancestor's dietary limits.

[–] Xanthrax@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I agree. It's a struggle based on food availability. The bigger foul keep them away from their food and they eat eggs.