Chicen Vision

[timalley]

:/When a chicken looks at you, is his vision sideways or direct? Periphial?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Your question made me curious so I did a google search. The best info is in Storey's guide to raising chickens:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Gx...VHw1TtV55o-xAsbDxYAL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=r

It says their peripheral vision is broad, and their binocular vision is narrow. But is seems like they make decent eye contact and see well enough to peck at small things right in front of them.

I also learned that chickens have better color vision that humans.

 

[theoldchick]

Yes, they can make eye contact

One eye:

Both eyes:

2-eyed stink eye:

They can see letters:

And could pick out all the white cereal from the brown with amazing accuracy:

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Funny pics. I should have said they make good eye contact.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Not only do they have better colour vision, they have MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better colour vision; All birds do. While it is sometimes referred to as seeing in additional dimensions, they have more types of light receptors than we do, and these receptors are more densely packed in their retinas. The spectrum of lght they see is considerably wider than that of humans. Birds see into the UV portion of the spectrum, and can distinuish differences in the wavelength of light that the human eye is incapable of distinguishing.

Most birds also have much better resolution than mammals: for example, raptors flying at high altitude can make out the details of a small rodent on the ground. Not quite sure of the lens capabilities of chickens, but I would speculate that it is better than that of the average human with no vision issues.

What birds do not have is a good sense of smell (there are a couple of exceptions: scavenger birds have a good sense of smell).

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It is fascinating trying to understand the senses of other species. Unfortunately they don't have good low light vision compared to humans and even water fowl. If I try to offer a treat to them when they have started roosting a bit after dusk, they have trouble seeing it. But the ducks can see it without a problem in similar lighting.