Study: Chickens Might Be as Smart as Dolphins

San Jose Mercury News ^ | 1/4

[nickcarraway]

Often dismissed as bird-brains, chickens are showing they’ve got some smarts

As we get ready to launch ourselves into the Year of the Rooster, here’s news that could give you new respect for the humble chicken.

Researchers have determined that chickens are smarter than we think, have a good measure of self-control, and might even have Machiavellian tendencies.

A study published this week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Animal Cognition, revealed that those bird-brained chickens are actually pretty smart, as most backyard chicken farmers have long maintained.

Neuroscientist Lori Marino authored the paper, which compiled the conclusions of several studies showing that chickens demonstrate self-control and self-assessment, which may indicate self-awareness. They also show the capacity for cunning and duplicity, which Marino described as Machiavellian-like social interactions.

Marino is the executive director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that supports basic animal rights.

Among the observations in the paper:

Chickens possess some understanding of numbers and basic arithmetic.

[Verbosus]

That is what I was thinking, that they just got mesmerized.
We did the “string trick” an uncountable number of times.
Occasionally you would pick a chicken that it wouldn’t work on.

But we had to do it for other buddies in the neighborhood because they wanted to see it or participate.
We even saved off the kite string for reuse.
My guess it was 20-25 foot long, and we laid each one out on our driveway when it wasn’t hot out.

[Yardstick]

What a funny thing. Did you ever try it without the string?

[Verbosus]

I remember hearing you could make a long straight chalk line, but we never tried that to my recollection.

I think you needed something for them to focus on.

You could “feel” them relax after a minute or so - and that is when you knew you could gently release your grip.

We would back off quietly, trying not to giggle or otherwise alert them.
It was something that a kid down the street would bring a cousin or friend over to watch, it was so odd.
It was so consistently done, except on occasion a hen would not “relax”.

You would never be able to hold a rooster like that.
Especially a banty rooster. They are far too aggressive.
They would shred your arms if you tried to grip them. :)
They chase off, dogs, cars, people, etc. even at feeding time.

[Ditter]

I had never heard about the string before you mentioned it. I would certainly be curious to know if anyone else has seen either or those strange events.

Did you actually try the string thing or just hear it from your grandmother?

[Ditter]

I knew what you meant. ;-)

[Verbosus]

Oh, we did it.
A lot at first.
After the first summer, we only seemed to do it if someone didn’t believe us.
Then we *HAD* to prove it.
You know how kids are.

[Daffynition]

The Henny-Penny effect.

[Verbosus]

Here is a kid “hypnotizing” be rubbing a chicken’s tummy and covering it’s eyes.
Watch him try and “wake” it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zwUPax25_Vo

Here is someone using a chalk line, although we used string about 20 ft long.
I guess we were wasteful
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sqZZ95L2n7o
(Must copy/paste the links, or google for “hypnotize a chicken with a length of string”

[Verbosus]

These folks just draw a one foot line in the dirt with their finger
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M268UccYVCE

[Verbosus]

This one is great!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uprNNH8Oxog

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Chickens are stupid and mean. Although not as stupid as turkeys, who are truly the dumbest animal I have come across, chickens are only kept because they taste good.

[JoeProBono]

[Ditter]

That is hilarious! I have a friend who has chickens here in the middle of Houston, I am sending this to her.

[Verbosus]

I lived in multiple places in Texas growing up.
When I had chickens, it was NW Harris County

[Ditter]

I had chickens when we lived in Baileys Prairie down in Brazoria County. They didn't last long. LOL!

[Verbosus]

Let me know the results.
Tell her to try with a hen, not a rooster.

[Ditter]

Alright I will.

[Daffynition]

[jy8z]

Old Butch


John was in the fertilized egg business.

He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,'and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.

He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.

Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.

Now, he could sit on the porch And fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!

When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover.

To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.

He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize" but they also awarded him the "Pullet surprise" as well.

[Yardstick]

That is wild — chicken on its back with feet in the air and just totally zoned out.

Makes you wonder what quirk in the chicken “software” causes this?

And naturally there’s a Japanese gameshow based on hypnotizing chickens:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWfb7xToLUQ