BIRD BRAINS?

[Chickylove12]

Ha ha..love is certainly a part of my makeup..I have done bird rescue with at least a hundred birds in my life. Wild birds that is. I know that Crows are incredibly intelligent. I can not wait to get chickens..I will love them..even if they don' t love me. L

 

[Chickylove12]

They may not "love" the way we think of it but my girls like to snuggle in the evening when they are getting ready for bed, they talk to me, and always come for treats. I adore them as pets and don't find them stupid at all. Before I started with chickens I thought they were stupid too.

That is really sweet...that will be how I care for them too..like loved pets.

 

[Krazyquilts]

I told a friend of mine that I am planning on getting chickens but am researching and preparing in advance before getting them. I have always loved chickens.. and dreamed of having them. She tried to gently tell me that "chickens are stupid" and have little bird brains. I disagree..I don't think they are stupid..they are capable of love don't you think?

Not stupid at all. More wild than cats and dogs etc (or at least that's been my experience) but definitely not stupid. I have a little cockerel who is very, very smart actually. He's the youngest and smallest guy in my rooster flock and figured out very quickly that if he let me pick him up, he could eat as much as he wanted out of my hand instead of getting picked on by the bigger roosters. Now, he's starting to jump up on me to get to "his" food faster. Smart because he's figured out an easier food source, and even smarter because by endearing himself to me and being sweet, he has also saved himself from the "cold, cold fate" that most of the other roosters have in their future.

And one of the bantam boys has started eyeing me and coming up to get food too! Though he won't let me pick him up yet, he will eat out of my hand.

Now guineas, on the other hand, guineas are truly stupid. Like a "how have you survived as a species!!!!!" level of stupid.

 

[BantyChooks]

Now guineas, on the other hand, guineas are truly stupid. Like a "how have you survived as a species!!!!!" level of stupid.

Hear, hear!

 

[lilmillefleur]

I have had 'smart' chickens and 'stupid' chickens. It's wrong to infer all chickens are stupid.
As for the 'love' part, I'm not sure. I only know my chickens 'love' treats!

 

[MarySue]

That is really sweet...that will be how I care for them too..like loved pets.

My Jasmine having her cuddle time.

 

[theoldchick]

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.

 

[Chickylove12]

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.

Haha that' is a good one!

 

[Chickylove12]

View attachment 1182729My Jasmine having her cuddle time.

Yay..that is precious!

 

[etammy]

I’m not sure about animals and human feelings. We tend to project that type of emotion on them.
However, I have had my 4 chickens for almost 2 weeks now and they have learned where to roost (from totally free ranged) to me wanting them inside a coop in the evening. In fact tonight I locked them out of the coop into the run extension so that I could do some maintenance and they basically were knocking on the door, “Um, hey lady, do you know what time it is?”
The other day I forgot to open the run extension (which was new to them only a couple of days)and they ran through it once I opened it squawking and reminding me how awful I was for forgetting. They know that I bring them food. They trust that I’m not going to hurt them. They are creatures of habit for sure as @Farmer Connie stated.

See how smart your hens are, they want in that coop at night so the things that bite don't get them...seems smart to me.