Are Chickens Smart?

[al6517]

Smart NO!!!! good instincts yes................... as for smart's they are a smart as a box of hair, but they have great and natural instincts and they do better if they are left to utilize that instinct.

 

[Mattemma]

Well it seems that my RSL has chosen to live the loner life. I keep finding her away from the others.When she is with them she attacks everyone but the roo.

Yesterday when there was an explosion I ran out to check the house as I thought something had hit it.Beatrice was hanging out by the back door under the bench. Quite a bit away from the other chickens. I found her a few time away from the others on the restricted driveway side.I don't know what I am going to do with her.

I am going to keep the carrier by the back door since rain makes closing the garage a necessity. I bet she will keep going it. I guess their wee brains remember who gives the food,and where a comfortable bed is.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I use this "imprinting" to get flocks to roost where I want them to roost. Smartness varies greatly. My red jungle fowl and their hybirds are almost crow like in their ability to learn landscape and get at food. The dominiques are the creatures of habit. The red jungle fowl and American games can be trained very quickly to do things for food, much faster than other domestics.

 

[CarolJ]

Some of mine seem smart - and yet there are a couple who seem about as dumb as dirt!

The ones that are dumb are the ones that entertain me the most, though. Example: They go in and out the same door every single day - but let one free-range for awhile and wander into the far side of the yard. When it starts to get dark, they panic and go scurrying back and forth along the fence line bawking like they have no clue where the door is.