Farmyard birds are a large group generally including the following:
CHICKENS
Chickens are one of the most common and widespread domestic animals with a total population of 23.7 billion as of 2018, up from more than 19 billion in 2011. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird. Their ubiquity makes them a popular animal in media because of their instantly recognisable image.
They have a squat and rounded appearance and are known for their fleshy combs, lobed wattles hanging below the bill and high-arched tails. Chickens stand less than 70cm tall and weigh approximately 2.6kg on average.
Rooster or cock is a term for an adult male bird and a younger male may be called a cockerel. A male that has been castrated is a capon. An adult female bird is called a hen and a sexually immature female is called a pullet.
There are numerous cultural references to chickens in myth, folklore and religion and in language and literature. In modern times Foghorn Leghorn is a popular cartoon chicken and he’s often referred to as the “Looney Tunes Chicken”. He appeared on the Bugs Bunny and Road Runner Show, Merry Melodies and he even won an Oscar! Well, one of the cartoons he starred in won; “Walky Talky Hawky” in 1946.
We’ve worked with chickens on many sets; they’re regularly picked for period dramas or comedy sketches. They are often also selected for themed events. The babies are particularly popular at Easter or spring time for photoshoots. This sociable bird is easy and fun to work with in a professional environment.
DUCKS
Like chickens, ducks are highly recognisable around the world and their image transcends geographical boundaries, a feature particularly useful for films and TV.
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl. They are generally smaller and shorter necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family.
A male is called a drake and the female is called a duck. A duckling is a young duck in downy plumage. Male ducks are usually identified by their brightly coloured feathers which they use to attract mates. Females tend to be duller in appearance, which camouflages them from potential predators. Ducks have webbed feet and waterproof feathers designed to help them swim.
The common mallard duck, which we are particularly used to seeing in the UK, is 50–65cm long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98cm and the bill can be 4.4-6.1 cm long. The mallard is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6kg.
In 1934 Walt Disney debuted Donald Fauntleroy Duck as an anthropomorphic white duck, most famous for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental and pompous personality. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Similarly Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by Warner Bros and has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Both ducks remain probably the most famous fictional ducks in the world today.
Ducks are a wonderful bird to work with in media; their many varieties, beautiful colours and general grace makes them stunning in photography as well as the moving image.
GEESE
A goose is any one of various large heavy-bodied waterfowl, intermediate in size and stature between large ducks and swans in the bird family.
These birds are quite large and have long necks and moderately flattened bills. Their necks are longer than those of ducks, but not quite as long as those of swans. Geese vary in colour and some species are pure white, while others are grey, brown or nearly black. Most adult geese weigh between 2.6.5kg, with some weighing up to 9kg. Females weigh slightly less than males.
The term goose may refer to either a male or female bird, but when paired with “gander” refers specifically to a female one (the latter referring to a male). Young birds before fledging are called goslings. The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, which we think is quite apt! When in flight, they are called a skein, a team or a wedge; when flying close together they are called a plump; again, quite appropriate!
In fiction there is a legendary old woman called Mother Goose who wrote nursery rhymes for children and this character now features in common parlance as an adjective. ‘The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs” is another well-known phrase derived from one of the classical writer Aesop’s best-known fables.
As with other farmyard birds, geese are synonymous with the countryside, history and other traditional themes. Their characterful image is known around the world, despite there being more variations of the species than we perhaps imagine.
TURKEYS
Turkeys are not just for Christmas… There, we said it! This stunning and characterful bird is really quite striking, making for wonderful content the whole year around.
Because of its role in Thanksgiving, the turkey is associated with generosity, gratitude, family and friendship. Like the holidays themselves, the turkey brings people together to share in the spirit of love, cooperation and thankfulness. Thus, their imagery suits filming themes surrounding warmth, the home and goodness.
They are among the largest birds in their ranges, and, as with many large ground-feeding birds, the male is bigger than the female. The typical Turkey has an overall height of 122cm and body length of 117cm. An average Turkey weighs between 7.7-13.6kg.
There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey of North America and the ocellated turkey of Mexico. Turkeys are dark overall with a bronze-green iridescence to most of their plumage. Their wings are dark, boldly barred with white. Their rump and tail feathers are broadly tipped with rusty or white. The bare skin of the head and neck varies from red to blue to grey. Males have a distinctive fleshy wattle called a snood, that hangs from the top of the beak. The females are less colourful than the male.
Instantly recognisable, this is a bird that is striking in stills photography and moving footage alike. It’s well worth considering working with this stunning bird.
PEACOCKS
This glamorous bird leaves little to the imagination. Peacocks are iconic. The impressive appearance is striking in any circumstance or environment.
Let’s get their terminology right; a peacock is a male peafowl and is more flamboyant than his female counterpart, the peahen. Peacocks are a larger sized bird with a length from bill to tail of 100-115cm and, to the end of a fully grown train, as much as 195-225 cm. They weigh 4–6kg. The peahens are smaller at around 95cm in length and they weigh 2.75–4kg.
The peacock is a shiny blue bird who fans out his large colourful iridescent tail feathers boasting colourful “eye” markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. Peahens are dull brown, with iridescent green necks and cream-coloured heads. Both peacocks and peahens have tufts of feathers crested out of their heads, and both genders are equally impressive in their own right.
At various times and in various cultures, the peacock has served as a symbol of good and evil, death and resurrection and of sinful pride. Much like its avian brethren, the crow and the raven, the peacock has figured heavily in folktales and fables as well as in countless superstitions that still exist today.
Perhaps what peacocks are best known for, in terms of historical association, is their long connection with the sins of pride and vanity. This arises not only from their great beauty, but also from their tendency to strut when displaying their magnificent plumage.
Generally of good temperament around humans, this bird is suitable to work with models and actors on set. Themes of elegance, glamour, style and flamboyance are easily conveyed with this wonderful bird. But be careful, if you’re working on a fashion shoot, for example, the peacock may just steal the show!
OSTRICHES
An ostrich is one impressive species. They don’t do anything by half! Everything about them is big, bold and awe inspiring. Add this to their quirky image, they’re an extraordinary bird to work with.
Ostriches are large, flightless birds that have long legs and a long neck that protrudes from a round body and a small head. Males have bold, black and white colouring. Females, on the other hand, are grey and light brown. Both males and females have white feathers on their wings and tails.
Ostriches are bigger and heavier than any other bird in the world. Males are typically larger than females, weighing 99-130kg and measuring 2-2.7 metres in height. Females weigh 90-109kg and range in height from 1.7-1.9m.
Though they cannot fly, ostriches are excellent runners. They can sprint up to 43 miles an hour and run over distance at 31 miles an hour. They use their wings as “rudders” to help them change direction while running. An ostrich’s powerful, long legs can cover 10-16 feet in a single stride. They have the fastest land speed of any bird.
Expresso the Ostrich is a fictional character in Nintendo’s Donkey Kong franchise, featuring as one of Donkey Kong’s allies. Samsung’s award winning ostrich flew onto the scene in 2017, heading up its “Do What You Can” campaign and has been a huge success for the company. It ended up being the most awarded campaign of 2017 at Cannes Lions and placed 9th in Ad Age’s Best of 2017 TV/Film awards. Here, you can clearly see that this bird is an incredible brand ambassador.
There’s many reasons why producers and directors should wish to work with farmyard birds in audiovisual productions, yet it doesn’t always have to centre around the farm theme. Birds are very versatile and their handlers are capable of achieving remarkable results with them.
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Our birds are covered by a £5 million Public Liability Insurance policy.
There is very strict legislation surrounding the movement of poultry and as avian illnesses and diseases can spread quickly, it’s important to check licencing requirements with our agents. At The Animal Talent, we work in line with the regulations set out by DEFRA and APHA when handling farmyard birds.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.
Animal Notes
Farmyard birds are a large group generally including the following:
CHICKENS
Chickens are one of the most common and widespread domestic animals with a total population of 23.7 billion as of 2018, up from more than 19 billion in 2011. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird. Their ubiquity makes them a popular animal in media because of their instantly recognisable image.
They have a squat and rounded appearance and are known for their fleshy combs, lobed wattles hanging below the bill and high-arched tails. Chickens stand less than 70cm tall and weigh approximately 2.6kg on average.
Rooster or cock is a term for an adult male bird and a younger male may be called a cockerel. A male that has been castrated is a capon. An adult female bird is called a hen and a sexually immature female is called a pullet.
There are numerous cultural references to chickens in myth, folklore and religion and in language and literature. In modern times Foghorn Leghorn is a popular cartoon chicken and he’s often referred to as the “Looney Tunes Chicken”. He appeared on the Bugs Bunny and Road Runner Show, Merry Melodies and he even won an Oscar! Well, one of the cartoons he starred in won; “Walky Talky Hawky” in 1946.
We’ve worked with chickens on many sets; they’re regularly picked for period dramas or comedy sketches. They are often also selected for themed events. The babies are particularly popular at Easter or spring time for photoshoots. This sociable bird is easy and fun to work with in a professional environment.
DUCKS
Like chickens, ducks are highly recognisable around the world and their image transcends geographical boundaries, a feature particularly useful for films and TV.
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl. They are generally smaller and shorter necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family.
A male is called a drake and the female is called a duck. A duckling is a young duck in downy plumage. Male ducks are usually identified by their brightly coloured feathers which they use to attract mates. Females tend to be duller in appearance, which camouflages them from potential predators. Ducks have webbed feet and waterproof feathers designed to help them swim.
The common mallard duck, which we are particularly used to seeing in the UK, is 50–65cm long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98cm and the bill can be 4.4-6.1 cm long. The mallard is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6kg.
In 1934 Walt Disney debuted Donald Fauntleroy Duck as an anthropomorphic white duck, most famous for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental and pompous personality. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Similarly Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by Warner Bros and has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Both ducks remain probably the most famous fictional ducks in the world today.
Ducks are a wonderful bird to work with in media; their many varieties, beautiful colours and general grace makes them stunning in photography as well as the moving image.
GEESE
A goose is any one of various large heavy-bodied waterfowl, intermediate in size and stature between large ducks and swans in the bird family.
These birds are quite large and have long necks and moderately flattened bills. Their necks are longer than those of ducks, but not quite as long as those of swans. Geese vary in colour and some species are pure white, while others are grey, brown or nearly black. Most adult geese weigh between 2.6.5kg, with some weighing up to 9kg. Females weigh slightly less than males.
The term goose may refer to either a male or female bird, but when paired with “gander” refers specifically to a female one (the latter referring to a male). Young birds before fledging are called goslings. The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, which we think is quite apt! When in flight, they are called a skein, a team or a wedge; when flying close together they are called a plump; again, quite appropriate!
In fiction there is a legendary old woman called Mother Goose who wrote nursery rhymes for children and this character now features in common parlance as an adjective. ‘The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs” is another well-known phrase derived from one of the classical writer Aesop’s best-known fables.
As with other farmyard birds, geese are synonymous with the countryside, history and other traditional themes. Their characterful image is known around the world, despite there being more variations of the species than we perhaps imagine.
TURKEYS
Turkeys are not just for Christmas… There, we said it! This stunning and characterful bird is really quite striking, making for wonderful content the whole year around.
Because of its role in Thanksgiving, the turkey is associated with generosity, gratitude, family and friendship. Like the holidays themselves, the turkey brings people together to share in the spirit of love, cooperation and thankfulness. Thus, their imagery suits filming themes surrounding warmth, the home and goodness.
They are among the largest birds in their ranges, and, as with many large ground-feeding birds, the male is bigger than the female. The typical Turkey has an overall height of 122cm and body length of 117cm. An average Turkey weighs between 7.7-13.6kg.
There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey of North America and the ocellated turkey of Mexico. Turkeys are dark overall with a bronze-green iridescence to most of their plumage. Their wings are dark, boldly barred with white. Their rump and tail feathers are broadly tipped with rusty or white. The bare skin of the head and neck varies from red to blue to grey. Males have a distinctive fleshy wattle called a snood, that hangs from the top of the beak. The females are less colourful than the male.
Instantly recognisable, this is a bird that is striking in stills photography and moving footage alike. It’s well worth considering working with this stunning bird.
PEACOCKS
This glamorous bird leaves little to the imagination. Peacocks are iconic. The impressive appearance is striking in any circumstance or environment.
Let’s get their terminology right; a peacock is a male peafowl and is more flamboyant than his female counterpart, the peahen. Peacocks are a larger sized bird with a length from bill to tail of 100-115cm and, to the end of a fully grown train, as much as 195-225 cm. They weigh 4–6kg. The peahens are smaller at around 95cm in length and they weigh 2.75–4kg.
The peacock is a shiny blue bird who fans out his large colourful iridescent tail feathers boasting colourful “eye” markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. Peahens are dull brown, with iridescent green necks and cream-coloured heads. Both peacocks and peahens have tufts of feathers crested out of their heads, and both genders are equally impressive in their own right.
At various times and in various cultures, the peacock has served as a symbol of good and evil, death and resurrection and of sinful pride. Much like its avian brethren, the crow and the raven, the peacock has figured heavily in folktales and fables as well as in countless superstitions that still exist today.
Perhaps what peacocks are best known for, in terms of historical association, is their long connection with the sins of pride and vanity. This arises not only from their great beauty, but also from their tendency to strut when displaying their magnificent plumage.
Generally of good temperament around humans, this bird is suitable to work with models and actors on set. Themes of elegance, glamour, style and flamboyance are easily conveyed with this wonderful bird. But be careful, if you’re working on a fashion shoot, for example, the peacock may just steal the show!
OSTRICHES
An ostrich is one impressive species. They don’t do anything by half! Everything about them is big, bold and awe inspiring. Add this to their quirky image, they’re an extraordinary bird to work with.
Ostriches are large, flightless birds that have long legs and a long neck that protrudes from a round body and a small head. Males have bold, black and white colouring. Females, on the other hand, are grey and light brown. Both males and females have white feathers on their wings and tails.
Ostriches are bigger and heavier than any other bird in the world. Males are typically larger than females, weighing 99-130kg and measuring 2-2.7 metres in height. Females weigh 90-109kg and range in height from 1.7-1.9m.
Though they cannot fly, ostriches are excellent runners. They can sprint up to 43 miles an hour and run over distance at 31 miles an hour. They use their wings as “rudders” to help them change direction while running. An ostrich’s powerful, long legs can cover 10-16 feet in a single stride. They have the fastest land speed of any bird.
Expresso the Ostrich is a fictional character in Nintendo’s Donkey Kong franchise, featuring as one of Donkey Kong’s allies. Samsung’s award winning ostrich flew onto the scene in 2017, heading up its “Do What You Can” campaign and has been a huge success for the company. It ended up being the most awarded campaign of 2017 at Cannes Lions and placed 9th in Ad Age’s Best of 2017 TV/Film awards. Here, you can clearly see that this bird is an incredible brand ambassador.
There’s many reasons why producers and directors should wish to work with farmyard birds in audiovisual productions, yet it doesn’t always have to centre around the farm theme. Birds are very versatile and their handlers are capable of achieving remarkable results with them.
Crew Notes
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Special Measures
Our birds are covered by a £5 million Public Liability Insurance policy.
There is very strict legislation surrounding the movement of poultry and as avian illnesses and diseases can spread quickly, it’s important to check licencing requirements with our agents. At The Animal Talent, we work in line with the regulations set out by DEFRA and APHA when handling farmyard birds.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.
63-66 Hatton Garden
London
EC1N 8LE
07956 063 445
enquiries@theanimaltalent.agency