[HN Gopher] Photos of chickens, taken by chickens
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Photos of chickens, taken by chickens
        
       Author : kapsteur
       Score  : 192 points
       Date   : 2022-06-13 19:36 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (chicken.photos)
 (TXT) w3m dump (chicken.photos)
        
       | switchstance wrote:
       | Did the chickens sign releases authorizing the use of their
       | photos?
        
         | dylan604 wrote:
         | If the chickens are going to be in public, there is no
         | expectation of privacy. I'd agree if the chickens were in their
         | coop, and they were shooting a long lens through the windows we
         | might be violating some privacy. However, running about in
         | public like this is totally fine without releases
        
         | oneeyedpigeon wrote:
         | You're thinking about this [1], aren't you?
         | 
         | [1]
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_disput...
        
       | Havoc wrote:
       | Those are some healthy looking chickens
        
       | neoberg wrote:
       | If the author reads this: How does the downloading images from SD
       | card part work?
        
         | jacobbijani wrote:
         | gphoto2, specifically the --capture-image-and-download command
         | 
         | http://www.gphoto.org/doc/manual/ref-gphoto2-cli.html
        
       | jahlove wrote:
       | > Are these chicken selfies?
       | 
       | > Yes. The chickens are using an input device (the motion sensor)
       | to invoke a computer function (the capture method on the Pi),
       | which invokes a series of events that results in the photo being
       | taken, uploaded, and shared.
       | 
       | > This is identical to a human using an input device (tapping a
       | button) to invoke a computer function (the post method on
       | Instagram), which invokes a series of events that results in the
       | photo being taken, uploaded, and shared.
       | 
       | Is it really "identical" though? A human knows they're taking the
       | selfie and sees the result. The chickens do not.
        
         | alar44 wrote:
         | Correct. He created a trail cam with a Canon 70D.
         | 
         | I'm not sure why this is supposed to be interesting.
        
           | dylan604 wrote:
           | Because we're all boring nerds and seeing something other
           | than code all day amuses us. Happy to hear you're okay though
        
           | Hellbanevil wrote:
           | I found the $20 each egg interesting. Plus you need to pick
           | it up.
           | 
           | Why would someone pay that much for an egg?
        
         | cosarara wrote:
         | By that logic, I am taking a selfie every time I speed in front
         | of a speed camera, or I drive in front of an average speed zone
         | camera.
        
           | deebosong wrote:
           | Make a novelty website dedicated to speed zone selfies.
        
         | actually_a_dog wrote:
         | Some of those chickens are better photographers than some
         | humans I know.
        
         | kokanee wrote:
         | I'm assuming the whole thing is a joke, but if we want to play
         | along with the pedantry, I would object on similar grounds:
         | 
         | A motion sensor is not an "input device," it is a sensory
         | monitor with thresholds and triggers controlled by the
         | architect of the system, not the thing being monitored. This is
         | evidenced by the fact that several of the photos were triggered
         | by something other than the chickens, such as a lawn mower.
         | 
         | If I create a system that drops paint on a canvas when the
         | temperature reaches 80 degrees F, it would be nonsense to
         | assert that the sun had painted a picture. I painted a picture,
         | and the sun was one of the tools I used in place of a brush.
        
         | alx__ wrote:
         | I guess it's more of a philosophical query. Who took the photo,
         | the chicken or the human ;)
        
           | dylan604 wrote:
           | But which came first, and does this tell us why it crossed
           | the road?
        
           | fsckboy wrote:
           | > _I guess it 's more of a philosophical query. Who took the
           | photo, the chicken or the human ;)_
           | 
           | and do I take the picture when I push the button on my camera
           | or do we really take the pictures when we start looking at
           | them?
        
           | hourago wrote:
           | And a legal one. If it's the human then the picture has
           | copyright, if it's the chicken then this are copyright free
           | pictures.
           | 
           | Edit. Link to relevant Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi
           | ki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_disput...
        
         | cronix wrote:
         | It's more akin to butt dialing.
        
         | aleksiy123 wrote:
         | More like a chicken speed/red light cam.
        
         | tomjakubowski wrote:
         | There's no evidence the chickens know they're taking a selfie,
         | but that shouldn't stop you from imagining for fun that they
         | might. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of
         | absence: perhaps chickens are not so vain as we are, and their
         | reaction when taking the picture is cool nonchalance.
        
         | jrwoodruff wrote:
         | The _about_ page seems pretty tongue-in-cheek. Later they talk
         | about the work ethic of the chickens, and offer eggs for $20
         | /ea.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | Adraghast wrote:
         | I take selfies every time I pass by a CCTV camera apparently.
        
           | LesZedCB wrote:
           | exactly, because "take" is the operative word, being a
           | positive action done by a subject.
        
             | dylan604 wrote:
             | better to take a selfie than having your image taken.
             | otherwise, you need liam neeson and his special skills or
             | you'll never get your image back
        
         | pelagicAustral wrote:
         | Yeah, probably not the same at all.
         | 
         | When I was kid I used to work summers on a family-owned free-
         | range chicken farm. I remember being fascinated by the behavior
         | of chickens. I also spent a lot of time figuring out if they
         | could remember me, and some did remembered and where more keen
         | on approaching, they were totally conditioned by the fact that
         | I used to give them some different kind of grain food. They
         | even made the trip to the house about 30 meters away, just
         | these few ones. Of course they probably remembered the food but
         | I was still happy with my accomplishments in the field of
         | human/chicken colaboration.
        
           | dangle1 wrote:
           | After my wife convinced me to get chickens, I went from being
           | ignorant and dismissive of chickens to loving having them in
           | our backyard. It's impressive how distinctive their
           | personalities are given the approx. 50 neurons they're
           | working with in life.
           | 
           | It's like having toddler dinosaurs bumbling around and having
           | little adventures for your entertainment.
        
             | b3morales wrote:
             | Befriending one of the more intelligent birds (jays, or
             | crows) is also very entertaining, though they are still
             | wild of course.
        
               | SoftTalker wrote:
               | Just don't betray their friendship, as they will not
               | forget it.
        
               | bstpierre wrote:
               | And they will tell their friends and children too,
               | apparently
        
               | memling wrote:
               | Related: Am I Liable for Murder if my Murder Attempts to
               | Commit Murder[1]
               | 
               | [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/k
               | i9gb1/i...
        
             | svachalek wrote:
             | Yes, they do have very clear personalities. We had one who
             | was very curious about people, just very interested in
             | following you and seeing what you do. It's probably food
             | related motivation, but more than simply seeking a handout
             | as most of them do. You could really see the gears turning
             | in there.
        
               | dangle1 wrote:
               | And they love it when you do digging projects and come
               | over next to you to see if there's anything good to eat.
        
               | frosted-flakes wrote:
               | This humorous children's short story comes to mind:
               | _Squabbling in the Vegatable Patch_ (it was an audiobook
               | cassette tape). Contains lots of chicken antics revolving
               | around exactly that.
               | 
               | https://youtube.com/watch?v=4YCQY4GwlBM&list=PLU8JDCV_35G
               | GWW...
               | 
               | I still have the original cassette tape from when I was a
               | child and still occasionally play it in my car radio (the
               | only tape player I own).
        
             | ekianjo wrote:
             | you dont need bazillions of neurons to showcase complex
             | behavior. also in humans a large part of our brain is to
             | help us move on 2 legs and keep us balanced.
        
             | mosseater wrote:
             | I know you are probably kidding about the 50 neurons, but
             | Red Junglefowl (what chickens are derived from) are working
             | with 221 million neurons. Which isn't that much in the
             | grand scheme of things, but more than double the amount
             | compared to a quail and about the same as a parrotlet or a
             | brown rat.
        
             | dylan604 wrote:
             | >50 neurons they're working with in life.
             | 
             | so approximtely 10x more than me on mondays before caffeine
        
         | ashes-of-sol wrote:
         | Yeah, you wouldn't put out a trail camera and say "look at the
         | selfie this deer took!". I'm willing to grant the author a
         | little slack though considering this seems pretty tongue in
         | cheek
        
         | SomeBoolshit wrote:
         | Accidental selfies, but still technically selfies.
        
           | netule wrote:
           | Is a traffic camera photo a selfie?
        
       | sethbannon wrote:
       | This somehow makes me feel nostalgic for when the internet was
       | more irreverent.
        
       | braingenious wrote:
       | This was cool until I read about NFTs in the about section. What
       | a bummer of a way to take a cool project and make it shitty.
        
       | zwieback wrote:
       | I had chickens and also had deer constantly destroying anything I
       | was trying to grow, I hate those bastards with a passion.
       | 
       | I was always hoping the chickens would chase the deer but they
       | just ignored them.
        
       | kerblang wrote:
       | Not a chicken, but this was my favorite
       | 
       | https://chicken.photos/20220605091358
        
         | vhiremath4 wrote:
         | So cute haha
        
         | dredmorbius wrote:
         | One^WSeveral of these chickens are not like the others.
        
       | h2odragon wrote:
       | lost me at "buy NFT"
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | pelagicAustral wrote:
         | Yeah, I know. 24 bucks as well. I can probably buy a few live
         | chickens myself with that kind of scratch.
        
           | dubswithus wrote:
           | I'd actually pay money to not have chickens live near me so I
           | don't have to hear them.
        
             | bombcar wrote:
             | Chickens (hens) are relatively quiet, it's the roosters
             | that need regulatin'.
        
               | tbyehl wrote:
               | My most vocal hens make quite a bit more racket than my
               | pair of roos.
        
             | robin_reala wrote:
             | Chickens are fine ("pok pok pok"), it's cockerels that you
             | definitely don't want near you.
        
               | mauvehaus wrote:
               | Learn from our mistake and maybe don't put the coop on
               | the same side of your house as your bedroom windows even
               | if you only have hens.
               | 
               | They make plenty of noise if you're a light sleeper and
               | they want to be let out for the day.
        
           | saalweachter wrote:
           | Chicks retail at Tractor Supply for $4 for most breeds, with
           | 6 chick minimums (at least where I'm at). That yields a
           | minimum order of 6 chicks for $24.
        
             | tbyehl wrote:
             | A hen raised to laying age is worth more like $20-$50.
        
             | mauvehaus wrote:
             | The major costs of getting chickens are a coop, and if
             | you're in a place with bears, an electric fence to keep the
             | bears from destroying your coop and eating the chickens
             | contained therein.
             | 
             | You might get lucky for a couple of years (we did), but now
             | we have two fewer chickens and a cock-a-doodle-gulag around
             | our coop.
             | 
             | If you don't already own a hatchet, you may as well get one
             | up front. At some point you're bound to have to put one out
             | of its misery. You may as well not make it wait while you
             | make a trip to the hardware store.
             | 
             | The principle of "buy once, cry once" definitely applies to
             | chicken feeders and waterers. The feeders that hold around
             | 30 pounds of feed are vastly superior to the smaller ones
             | and are worth the investment. The waterers that hold a 5 of
             | gallons and fill via a screw top are similarly superior.
             | 
             | Also: chickens shit _everywhere_. Forget about carefree
             | gambols through your yard once you have chickens.
        
           | bicx wrote:
           | Someone actually paid for it though, so maybe chicken.photos
           | is on to something.
        
             | slickdork wrote:
             | Maybe it was the chickens who bought it.
        
         | dangle1 wrote:
         | Or even before that, at eggs "...are available for $20 each."
        
           | lofatdairy wrote:
           | Considering it's pick-up only without an address, I'm
           | inclined towards believing that that's dry humor.
        
             | Angostura wrote:
             | And it probably includes a digital download of the egg.
        
         | babypuncher wrote:
         | Yeah, the NFT nonsense really sours what is an otherwise
         | amusing project. It's not enough to make something cool, we
         | have to try an monetize it through an obvious ponzi scheme.
        
           | mitchdoogle wrote:
           | I don't get why people get so sour about NFTs. If you don't
           | like them, then don't participate - just like the thousands
           | of other things people do for fun or profit that you don't
           | participate in. This example is just a text link on a few
           | images - it's not even in your face or very noticeable, yet
           | several comments here have already voiced their aversion
        
             | babypuncher wrote:
             | Nothing happens in a vacuum. Society as a whole can be made
             | to suffer from the after effects of "optional" activities.
        
             | elliotpage wrote:
             | I'm afraid I cannot "Not participate" in the ecological
             | destruction they cause.
        
         | cpach wrote:
         | I really don't like NFTs, but I think it was a nice idea and
         | website though. Would never buy the NFT, I could see myself
         | buying a physical print though.
        
         | almost wrote:
         | Yeah it does take the shine off it doesn't it?
        
       | micromacrofoot wrote:
       | Great use of an old DSLR camera, the quality elevates this to
       | wonderful.
        
       | ch4s3 wrote:
       | I went to the about page and was not disappointed. Stompers is a
       | great name for a rooster.
        
       | tppiotrowski wrote:
       | A good reminder that one of the basic tenets of good wildlife
       | photography is to photograph at eye level. So if you want to take
       | a picture of your cat or dog, squat down to their level instead
       | of pointing the camera downwards.
        
         | jjice wrote:
         | Why is that?
        
           | tppiotrowski wrote:
           | I don't know the theory but I find these chicken photos more
           | aesthetic than photos of chickens taken from above. It might
           | have something to do with looking your subject in the eye...
        
           | KineticLensman wrote:
           | A good general principle in almost any photography is that if
           | you want pictures that are different from everyone else's,
           | just get down a bit. Most people take shots at their eye
           | level and don't even think to try a different angle
        
             | astrange wrote:
             | Or up. The way I think of it is people looking at your
             | photo shouldn't know how tall you are.
        
             | dredmorbius wrote:
             | _Unusual_ points of view.
             | 
             | High, low, inside a pipe, from a tree, under water, where
             | people don't usually go / aren't allowed / can't access,
             | etc.
             | 
             | Keep in mind that the unusual can become commonplace if
             | overused. Selfie sticks were initially a novel PoV. They
             | became cliche in about a week.
        
               | kQq9oHeAz6wLLS wrote:
               | If your pictures aren't interesting enough, you're not
               | close enough
        
           | wsgeorge wrote:
           | From my experience, pictures taken at the normal human
           | viewing height look uninteresting because they're taken at an
           | angle we're most familiar with, which doesn't have much
           | novelty.
           | 
           | Photos taken at unfamiliar angles will present their objects
           | in ways we're not used to seeing. Which makes them less
           | familiar and more stimulating. Which is more interesting.
        
       | 0daystock wrote:
       | Chickens are beautiful creatures worthy of at the least the
       | respect we give to household pets. The unimaginable horror we put
       | billions of them through on an ongoing basis, while dissonantly
       | admiring their charm and brilliance, is a sobering realization.
        
         | LesZedCB wrote:
         | indeed, the line between "pet" and "food" is disturbing in both
         | where it's drawn, and it's fundamental relativism.
        
       | Lio wrote:
       | Dear, oh dear. Some of these chickens look like, er, deer.
       | 
       | Nice work.
        
       | xisthesqrtof9 wrote:
       | $20 for an egg? That's just absurd.
        
         | steve_adams_86 wrote:
         | These chickens are famous, sir.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | karaterobot wrote:
       | I think when you say the photos are taken by chickens, I was
       | imagining a chicken wearing a GoPro or something. These are
       | motion-activated pictures from a stationary camera. They're still
       | very cool though.
        
       | smm11 wrote:
       | No possible way chickens literally aren't T-Rex.
        
       | calibas wrote:
       | Some interesting legality here, if these photos are really "taken
       | by chickens" then they can't be copyrighted:
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_disput...
       | 
       | However, if this counts as being "taken by chickens" then it also
       | implies that when a burglar triggers a motion-activated camera,
       | the burglar owns the rights to the image.
        
         | WaitWaitWha wrote:
         | >The chickens are using an input device (the motion sensor) to
         | invoke a computer function [...]
         | 
         | No, per the description and your legal context, the chickens
         | are not taking the pictures.
        
           | BarryMilo wrote:
           | You also don't own the copyright for pictures randomly
           | generated by computers, presumably this applies to chicken
           | randomization as well.
        
         | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
         | When I've rented cameras for photo shoots, I'm pretty sure I
         | own the photos and not the rental company, so this checks out.
         | 
         | Maybe the BUY NFT link on every photo goes to accounts the
         | chickens own. Nothing about NFTs makes any less sense than
         | this, so why not?
        
       | mdturnerphys wrote:
       | There was a talk on this back in 2007:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk
        
       | akeck wrote:
       | NFTs, $20 eggs, etc. aside, this made my day.
        
       | swighton wrote:
       | I feel like calling these photos "taken by a chicken" is fairly
       | misleading. The photos are taken automatically when a chicken
       | wanders in front of a motion detector.
       | 
       | To test the claim with a similar example, let's say I run a red
       | light which triggers a red light cam to take a picture of me and
       | my car. I don't think I can claim that I took that photo, or that
       | it is a selfie.
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | The "gorilla selfie" case provides the best ruling we have in
         | the area at this time.
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_disput...
        
         | ruined wrote:
         | no, let's support this line of thought. argue in court that the
         | state has violated both the 4th amendment and copyright on your
         | red light selfie. this could be incredible. next up,
         | surveillance images and news media of political demonstrations
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | jaboutboul wrote:
       | Noah Kalina at it again.
        
       | TamDenholm wrote:
       | "The purpose of a rooster is to yell at the top of its lungs all
       | day and prevent the humans from sleeping past sunrise."
       | 
       | Excellent about page.
        
       | bryanrasmussen wrote:
       | It's nice to see that Gary Larson is still going strong, I think
       | should make a cow tools site next
       | https://twitter.com/Bondcliff2008/status/1530207754358431744
        
       | rexreed wrote:
       | Aren't these just trail cam pictures?
        
       | markozivanovic wrote:
       | >Do the chickens lay eggs? >>Yes. They are the best fresh eggs
       | you've ever tasted. They are available for $20 each. Pick up
       | only.
       | 
       | Wow, some expensive eggs! Is it because these chickens are now
       | celebrities? :)
       | 
       | Kidding aside, I just bought a box of 10 eggs today for 4 euros
       | (~4,15USD) and thought that was a bit expensive. Also from free-
       | range chicken.
       | 
       | I can find "egg prices around the world", but I can't find a
       | single site where I can filter results by the size of eggs and
       | type of chickens. Here's an idea for a really unneeded SaaS!
        
         | alx__ wrote:
         | I'd guess they're purposely inflated to cut down on people
         | asking to buy them
        
           | SV_BubbleTime wrote:
           | Colloquially called the "Fuck off price".
           | 
           |  _"We don't want to do it, but if you are really going to pay
           | this, we'll make it happen."_
           | 
           | I was quoting some wood deck and lawn work this spring. I had
           | four people come out to quote, and two gave me fuck off
           | prices about 3-4x what I eventually paid.
           | 
           | EDIT: for reference on good eggs, I've found duck eggs to be
           | superior to chicken eggs.
        
             | dredmorbius wrote:
             | _I've found duck eggs to be superior to chicken eggs._
             | 
             | Especially if you're interested in hatching ducklings.
        
         | iamtheworstdev wrote:
         | i suspect it's sarcasm. that's not the price of eggs anywhere
         | in the USA.
        
         | reaperducer wrote:
         | _Wow, some expensive eggs!_
         | 
         | Maybe it's a typo. Perhaps he meant $20/dozen.
         | 
         | Which is still expensive. I get my eggs from a farmer 30 miles
         | out of town, and she only charges $8/dozen, and that includes
         | delivering it to my doorman. But I only order when she's
         | recently slaughtered another farm animal, to make it worth the
         | trip for her.
        
           | dylan604 wrote:
           | I don't think you're looking high enough. Try looking over
           | your head as that's where this bit of humor sailed ;P
        
         | colechristensen wrote:
         | The people I've known who raise chickens quickly reach the
         | level of "please take these eggs, please!"
        
         | euroderf wrote:
         | Fresh chicken eggs are da bomb. The egg whites cohere and do
         | not spread out in a puddle. You might be buying organic eggs
         | (or free range, or wot-evs) but if the whites are runny and
         | spread out in the pan, the eggs are NOT fresh.
        
           | layer8 wrote:
           | According to that criterion the eggs I buy are apparently
           | fresh, though I usually wish the whites were more runny when
           | I use them.
        
           | silisili wrote:
           | One thing that always stood out to me about fresh/real
           | chicken eggs I got from my father was the color of the yolk.
           | Much, much darker than store bought, though I don't know what
           | even plays a role determining that.
           | 
           | Hoping to get a coop up later this year and start
           | experimenting!
        
             | SoftTalker wrote:
             | The color of the yolk depends on what the chickens eat; it
             | doesn't really indicate anything about the nutritional
             | content of the eggs. Supermarket "organic" eggs that have a
             | dark yellow yolk might just mean that their chickens' diet
             | included pigments that caused that. A true free-range
             | chicken that had a more wild diet including insects and
             | seeds other than wheat or corn will also tend to have eggs
             | with a darker yolk.
        
             | Angostura wrote:
             | Oddly enough you don't want your eggs too fresh. I remember
             | my grandmother saying that you can to keep them for a
             | couple of days before eating - something about the texture
             | of the white
        
               | Enginerrrd wrote:
               | I think that's only for making hardboiled eggs.
               | 
               | The whites don't separate from the shell well if they're
               | too fresh
        
             | Enginerrrd wrote:
             | >...though I don't know what even plays a role determining
             | that.
             | 
             | Age is definitely one big factor. The longer they sit the
             | lighter they get. But I suspect diet also plays a big role,
             | and to a lesser extent, lifestyle/overall health
        
             | a1pulley wrote:
             | Yolk color is a function of xanthophyll in the diet.
             | Backyard chickens tend to get food scraps that contain more
             | xanthophyll than there is in commercial feed, which is why
             | backyard eggs yolks tend to be more orange. If you want
             | more orange in your yolks, you can feed your chickens stuff
             | like marigolds or cooked carrots.
        
               | wiredfool wrote:
               | Or you toss in beet peel scraps.
        
       | robga wrote:
       | Chicken feed.
        
       | pavel_lishin wrote:
       | Another fun piece of chicken-centric art is Igorrr's Chicken
       | Sonata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFxDOV6IwHk
        
       | Kudos wrote:
       | When my postman activates my doorbell camera by approaching the
       | door, is he taking a selfie?
       | 
       | This is somewhat charming surveillance footage at best.
        
         | dylan604 wrote:
         | Did the imaging start when the mailman pushed the button?
        
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       (page generated 2022-06-13 23:00 UTC)