Have you ever had a group of chickens that's just smarter than the rest?

[diggergal]

automatic shutting door...has it ever shut before they're all in?

No, mine hasn't... but we have it set so it shuts after sunset. It was quite an investment but we are feel it has been worth it for the covenience and safety of our chickens.

 

[Whittni]

I have a Sebright rooster named Jingle who turns his head to where is eye is parallel to the sky to look for aerial predators and I did not teach him that, then the whole flock functions together to break down any temporary fencing to keep them in, they combine their weight and I'm not joking. I've only got three heavy weights, the sussex kind and the rest are all 30 oz and less!

 

[Yukonchick]

I've just installed an automatic chicken door too. Chicks are too young to put in their coop yet but I'm not sure how well its gonna work. We live in the land of the midnight sun. The sun just starts to set at midnight. I might have to get them in their coop manually each night at 9 or 10.

 

[Queen of the chickens]

I had heard of smart chickens but had never met one in my 4 years of chicken keeping until this year. I have a Millie Fleur pullet who flies into my arms when I hold out my arms to her and pat my chest. She also talks back to me when I say her name, "Lovey Dovey" but only when I say it. I also have a white Banty Cochin pullet who has been put in a small cage in the rabbit pen while she heals from a pecking wound. Last night when I went to put her to bed, she was already sitting in the cage. She had to fly in a small hole in the top. I was impressed. We will see if it happens again tonight.

 

[UnderHisWings]

I have a friend who, when going to fill up her chicken's feed container, asked her Light Brahma hen if she was hungry. The chicken then ran into the coop, tapped on the food container, ran straight back and stared at my friend as if she was saying, "So...are you going to feed me?"

 

[Beverly's Mom]

My Ameraucana, Beverly, certainly has her quirks, which I'm pretty sure means that she's highly intelligent.

She likes Lucky Charms cereal (they really ARE magically delicious!), but she won't eat them right where I give them to her - she has to walk over to the mat that's on our porch & THEN she'll eat them. She LOVES bananas, but they have to be YELLOW. 'Cuz once they start browning up a bit & getting spots, she's not interested. Quite the Princess.
And she absolutely LOVES bologna. Who knew?!

And she's really smart about going to the door & clucking when she wants to go out or come in. In the winter, I have a large box in the basement that she sleeps in. If she's in the house (regardless of the season) & she feels an egg coming on, she'll march herself right down the stairs & get in the box & do her thing. And when she's done, she marches upstairs & does her little victory cluck!

She's SO awesome!

 

[kamuelamom]

Mine all gather at the gate too! I keep telling my family how smart my chickens are and all they do is look at me and nod their heads, like, 'oooookay mom, whatever you say." Plus they come a runnin' (and flying if they have to) at first sight of me like I am a rock star.

I play a little game with them when I feed them their scratch ... running around the tractor in the large open run. All but one will run with me while one smart little cookie simply waits because she knows I'll eventually be back around.

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

We have a Buff Orpington that just blows my mind and makes me shake my head. Before our flock was reduced by someones loose dogs and down to just our two BO's we had quite a mix; RIR, Australorp, Sex Link, Ameraucana, Sebright. And none of them were like her.

The girls coop/run is located in the garden area. We like to open the run door and let them free range in the garden area (fencing off areas when we are growing). The garden fence is a work in progress and only the lower half has been put on 2/3, with one side being complete. This fat little chicken can get out and likes to wander in the neighbors yards. We have no idea how she is doing it. She only gets out on the side that is completed that has a 4 foot gate. She doesn't fly, at least that we've seen. We think she might be able to squeeze through the fencing since it is the square/rectangle cattle type fencing. None of the others have caught on. But no one has seen her do it, ever!

She knows to go across the street to the neighbor with all the bird feeders when hungry, the other neighbor when he has his green house door open and get into his strawberries. As soon as we see her I send out one of the kids to get her. If you have the "chicken bucket" she will come a runnin', if not, she will stay where she's at and wait for you to come get her and will squat down when you pick her up. She will even get onto our deck when the curtains are open and tap on the door if she sees us in there and she wants in. I will open the sliding door and in she trots, checking the floor for goodies. When she's done and wants back out she will stand over by the door waiting for you to open it for her.
What's truly amazing is when the dogs got into the garden area and took our flock out we thought for sure they had gotten "fluffy butt" since she is always loose but she was one of two that were spared.n

They are so stinking funny! All these post are a hoot!

 

[S1mba]

It makes you wonder what it would be like if a strain of chickens were bred for intelligence the way we breed them for egg production, size, or coloring...

 

[AZ_HenHouse]

That's hilarious! They still don't get it?! If I say "chick, chick, chick," I better have something

Otherwise, I might lose a limb when the piranhas come stampeding!

too funny, that's my girls too!