Hen

Motherly feelings; something to do with being female or caring for young. See: Chicken.

If being eaten suggests nourishment. Otherwise a female, or the female in a male; being ‘chicken’ or scared.

If you know chickens and have watched and reared them you will have other associations, such as motherhood, the wonderful fatherhood of the cockerel. Also the stillness and concentration of the broody hen. See Associations Working With

Example: A large cockerel was amongst them and to my amused pleasure began immediately to chase the hens. They all ran madly away. My father was there now and said the chickens wouldn’t lay with that chicken chasing them. I said it wasn’t a chicken that’s a cockerel, and they would soon calm down. My mother now came. I said the chickens would stop running eventually because the cockerel was bigger than they. She said, no, it wasn’t the size, but the manner and attitude of his approach. She meant it caused an instinctive responses them.

When I explored the dream I realised that of course. I am a cockerel that is inwardly a chicken. I am chicken because I won’t see my own homosexuality. I am chicken because I have made myself a passive female. My mother says it is not the size, its the – inner – attitude. Of course, my inner attitude, as a chicken, is changing. I have been the size of a cockerel, but with the soul of a chicken – female.

This dream can lead to the thought that a cockerel with chickens can mean the eggs are fertile, which might mean for a woman that she is ready to have a baby.

Example: ‘An old lady made room for me to sit at the end of one of the three seats of a bus. As we drove away a very large chicken size baby bird flew in. It had short stubby wings and yellow down, but flew expertly. I believe it first landed on the lady and chirped squeakily. But in it’s squeaks it actually spoke, saying it had lost it’s mother. It sounded as if it were crying.’ Andrew.

Here the chicken obviously represents the dreamers own childhood feelings of desertion. The old lady is the mother.

Sometimes there may be associations with ‘chicken feed’ and so the question is, are you working for nothing?  Also is there any sign of this being a ‘hen party’? If so ask ourself if you are guilty of it.

The cock: a male or the male sexual characteristics; confidence.

The hen: Mother; motherhood; being immersed in motherhood concerns and perhaps not having a life beyond that.

Chicks: This is a reference either to your own babyhood and feelings or events associated with it, or to external baby or babies. This may at times point to vulnerable people or assets.

Idioms: chicken feed; chickens come home to roost; chicken hearted; she’s no chicken; cock of the walk; don’t count your chicks/chickens before they are hatched.

Useful Questions and Hints:

Is the bird in my dream expressing any of the important stages of growth such as babyhood, leaving the nest, or making a nest?

What quality or attitude is the bird expressing and how does that relate to me?

What is the rest of the dream indicating about the bird?

See Being the Person or Thing – Emotions and Mood in Dreams – Inner World