The following information was taken directly from goveg.com

Learn more about the emotional lives of farm animals by following the links below:

• Cows "Cows interact in socially complex ways, developing friendships over time, sometimes holding grudges against cows who treat them badly, forming social hierarchies within their herds, and choosing leaders based upon intelligence..." Read more

• Pigs "They are social, playful, protective animals who bond with each other, make beds, relax in the sun, and cool off in the mud..." Read more

• Chickens "... some are gregarious and fearless, while others are more shy and watchful; some chickens enjoy human company, while others are standoffish, shy, or even a bit aggressive. Just like dogs, cats, and humans, each chicken is an individual with a distinct personality." Read more

• Turkeys "When not forced to live on filthy factory farms, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dustbaths, preening themselves, and roosting high in trees..." Read more

• Ducks & Geese "Adept in water, land, and air, these birds fly hundreds of miles each year to migrate. Both ducks and geese fly and swim in formations that reduce air and water resistance for the birds in the rear. Ducks live in couples or groups, while pairs of geese mate for life, mourning for a significant amount of time when their partners die..." Read more
  

Cows

A cow contentedly chewing her cud may look like she doesn’t have a care in the world, but there’s a lot going on behind those big brown eyes. Cows are as diverse as cats, dogs, and people: Some are bright; others are slow learners. Some are bold and adventurous; others are shy and timid. Some are friendly and considerate; others are bossy and devious.

In addition to having distinct personalities, cows are generally very intelligent animals who can remember things for a long time. Cows interact in socially complex ways, developing friendships over time, sometimes holding grudges against cows who treat them badly, forming social hierarchies within their herds, and choosing leaders based upon intelligence. They are emotionally complex as well and even have the capacity to worry about the future.

Cows can not only figure out problems, they also, like humans, enjoy the intellectual challenge and get excited when they find a solution. Their big problem, of course, is that they’re being raised for slaughter, and just like all animals, they don’t want to be separated from their families, and they don’t want to die. So cows have been known to use their smarts to perform amazing feats, such as leaping over a six-foot fence to escape from a slaughterhouse, walking seven miles to reunite with a calf after being sold at auction, and swimming across a river to freedom.

Because of their complex social interactions, cows also have the ability to learn from each other, another indication of their intelligence, which is comparable to that of a dog and a bit higher than that of a cat.

A herd of cows is very much like a pack of wolves, with alpha animals and complex social dynamics. Each cow can recognize more than 100 members of the herd, and social relationships are very important to them.

Cows form close friendships with some members of their herd—the relationships between mothers and daughters are especially strong, and calves bond with others in their peer group.

Raising cows in unnatural conditions, such as crowded feedlots, is very stressful to them because it upsets their hierarchy. This is akin to how humans would feel if we were penned in a tiny space with thousands of unfamiliar people. Just like us, cows like to be near their families and friends, and the stress of life on factory farms makes them feel confused, scared, and alone.

Cows are emotional animals who have likes and dislikes, just like humans do.Many cows are affectionate animals who are deeply loyal to their families and human companions. Cows can use their body posture and vocal sounds to express a whole range of emotions, including contentment, interest, anger, and distress. These gentle giants mourn the death of those they love, even shedding tears over their loss.

Pigs

Many people who know pigs compare them to dogs because they are friendly, loyal, and intelligent. Pigs are naturally very clean and avoid, if at all possible, soiling their living areas. When given the chance to live away from factory farms, pigs will spend hours playing, lying in the sun, and exploring their surroundings with their powerful sense of smell. They are social, playful, protective animals who bond with each other, make beds, relax in the sun, and cool off in the mud.

Since most people are not that familiar with pigs, you may be surprised to learn that they dream, recognize their names, play video games more effectively than some primates, and lead social lives of a complexity previously observed only in primates.

People who run animal sanctuaries often describe pigs with human characteristics, because they’ve learned that, like humans, pigs enjoy listening to music, playing with soccer balls, and getting massages.

Pigs form complex social units and learn from one another in ways previously observed exclusively among primates.

Pigs communicate constantly with one another. More than 20 of their oinks, grunts, and squeals have been identified for different situations, from wooing their mates to expressing, “I’m hungry!"

Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers’ voices, and mother pigs sing to their young while nursing.

Pigs are actually very clean animals. If given sufficient space, pigs will be careful not to excrete near where they sleep or eat. Pigs don’t “sweat like pigs”; they are actually unable to sweat. Pigs like to bathe in water or mud to keep cool.

Like dogs, piglets learn their names by 2 to 3 weeks of age and respond when called.

Pigs have been known to save the lives of others, including their human friends.

Chickens

Chickens are inquisitive, interesting animals who are as intelligent as mammals like cats, dogs, and even primates. They are very social and like to spend their days together, scratching for food, cleaning themselves in dust baths, roosting in trees, and lying in the sun.

Chickens are precocious birds. Mother hens actually cluck to their unborn chicks, who chirp back to their mothers and to one another from within their shells. Unlike most birds, baby chickens can survive without their mothers and without the comfort of a nest—they come out of the shell raring to explore and ready to experience life.

Chickens understand sophisticated intellectual concepts, learn from watching each other, demonstrate self-control, worry about the future, and even have cultural knowledge that is passed from generation to generation.

Chickens comprehend cause-and-effect relationships and understand that objects still exist even after they are hidden from view. This puts the cognitive abilities of chickens above those of small human children.

When in their natural surroundings, chickens form complex social hierarchies, also known as “pecking orders,” and every chicken knows his or her place on the social ladder and remembers the faces and ranks of more than 100 other birds.

People who have spent time with chickens know that each bird has a different personality that often relates to his or her place in the pecking order—some are gregarious and fearless, while others are more shy and watchful; some chickens enjoy human company, while others are standoffish, shy, or even a bit aggressive. Just like dogs, cats, and humans, each chicken is an individual with a distinct personality.

Chickens are social animals who form complex social hierarchies and interact in complex ways that are indicative of what anthropologists call “culture.” Chickens learn from observing the success and failure of others in their community.

Chickens communicate with each other through their “clucks”. They have more than thirty types of vocalizations. They have different calls to distinguish between threats that are approaching by land and those that are approaching over water.

Like all animals, chickens love their families and value their own lives. The social nature of chickens means that they are always looking out for their families and for other chickens in their group. In the wild, chickens spend most of their time in groups—they enjoy foraging for food, taking dustbaths, and roosting in trees together at night.

Besides bonding to their young, chickens also form strong friendships and enjoy spending time with their companions, just like we do.

Turkeys

Many people think of turkeys as little more than a holiday centerpiece, but turkeys are social, playful birds who enjoy the company of others. They relish having their feathers stroked and like to chirp, cluck, and gobble along to their favorite tunes. Anyone who spends time with them on farm sanctuaries quickly learns that turkeys are as varied in personality as dogs and cats.

When not forced to live on filthy factory farms, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dustbaths, preening themselves, and roosting high in trees.

Turkeys have been genetically modified to gain weight rapidly because fatter turkeys mean fatter wallets for farmers. But in nature, the turkey’s athletic prowess is truly impressive. Wild turkeys can fly at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour and run at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. The natural lifespan of the turkey is between 10 and 12 years, but on factory farms they are slaughtered when they’re just 5 months old.

Male turkeys, or “toms,” are bigger and have more colorful plumage than female turkeys, or “hens.” The males attract females with their wattles, colorful flaps of skin around their necks, and tufts of bristles that hang from their chests.

Turkeys are born with full-color vision just like our own, and in nature they stay with their mothers for up to the first five months of their lives. These gentle birds are very bonded to their young—in the wild, a mother turkey will courageously defend her family against predators.

Erik Marcus, the author of Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating, has spent a considerable amount of time with turkeys on farm sanctuaries. He reports, “Turkeys remember your face and they will sit closer to you with each day you revisit. Come back day after day and, before long, a few birds will pick you out as their favorite and they will come running up to you whenever you arrive. It’s definitely a matter of the birds choosing you rather than of you choosing the birds. Different birds choose different people.”

Ducks & Geese

Adept in water, land, and air, these birds fly hundreds of miles each year to migrate. Both ducks and geese fly and swim in formations that reduce air and water resistance for the birds in the rear. Ducks live in couples or groups, while pairs of geese mate for life, mourning for a significant amount of time when their partners die.

Whether they’re gliding across the smooth surface of a lake or soaring through the sky in perfect formation, geese and ducks are familiar fixtures in the Canadian landscape. But while we may encounter them fairly frequently, many people don’t know much about these animals. Geese and ducks are interesting individuals who look out for their companions and have strong bonds with their mates and their young.

Geese are very loyal to their families—they mate for life and are very protective of their partners and offspring. If a goose’s mate or chicks become sick or injured, she will often refuse to leave their side, even if winter is approaching and the other geese in her group are flying south. Those who have spent time observing geese report that they experience emotions just as we do—when a goose’s mate is killed or her eggs are destroyed, she will seclude herself from other geese while she mourns. After a partner dies, some geese spend the rest of their lives as widows, refusing to mate again—this can be a long time, because geese live up to 25 years.

Geese enjoy preening their feathers, foraging for food in the grass, and collecting twigs, bark, and leaves to use to make “home improvements” in their nests. They lay eggs once a year in the spring, and the female incubates them for 30 days while her mate guards their well-concealed home. True to their loyal nature, geese like to use the same nest each year if possible.

Multiple families of geese come together to form a larger group called a gaggle. This strength-in-numbers approach comes in handy when they are flying long distances. Aside from guarding their own families, geese also look out for others in their gaggle—if they are flying and one goose is shot, some of the other geese will lag behind to look after their injured friend.

Ducks are outgoing, social animals who feel most at ease when they’re in a larger group of other ducks—this group of ducks is called a paddling. They spend their days looking for food in the grass or in shallow water, and they sleep together with their paddling at night. Ducks are meticulously clean animals who keep their nests free of waste and debris, and they enjoy preening their feathers and flaunting their beautiful plumage for potential mates. In nature, they may live for 10 years.

Ducks are adept swimmers and fliers, and they may travel hundreds of miles each year during their migrations. They fly in formation for protection and to reduce air resistance, and they can fly at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour!

Ducks use vocalizations and body language to communicate. Ducks even have regional accents, just like humans! City ducks have more of a “shouting” quack so that other ducks can hear them above the hustle and bustle, while country ducks have softer, smoother voices.
 
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