Chickens are very trainable. Some are more trainable than others. Some have had their brains bred right out of them and you can't do a dang thing with them. Sorta like dogs you get from puppy mills. Game birds are very intelligent but are difficult to train because of their need to be dominant. Layers, in my opinion, are not as smart as game birds, but they are lovable and some layer breeds are very trainable. Bantams are fun to work with but they can be rather flighty. As always there is an individual of any breed who turn out to be very smart for a chicken. No, they aren't going to grab the keys and drive down the road but they can learn to look both ways before they cross the road. I don't know if chickens can love like humans do but they sure can get attached to one person while ignoring all other people. But they also do that in a flock situations. We've all seen two or three hens stick together.
No matter how dumb or smart they are, you can't deny how adaptable chickens are. They have been around a long time. A very long time. Just take a look at those feet and the general shape of the body, and you can imagine what their dino ancestor looked like. Dumb or smart, once chickens entered our food chain, man began to develop more rapidly. The nutrients they provided kept the human population from starvation as it is much easier to raise and process chickens than it is to raise and process beef. So when your favorite chicken claims your lap as her throne, just remember all the work you do to keep her and her flock healthy and happy. All the sweat and tears to build a coop, grow her food, perfect her nest box, clean the roosts.... Well now.....makes you wonder who is really the bird brain.
