Do they remember?

[NHMountainMan]

What do you think - do your chickens remember you?

Several months ago, I traded a few extra pullets and a cockerel with a neighbor, who lost a lot of birds to a bobcat.

This morning I stopped by, and as soon as I got out of my truck, the cockerel came running. Perhaps 100 yards. I thought for sure he was just trying to guard his flock, but the neighbor said he's never done that before.

What do you think - did he remember the sound of my truck?

 

[kiwi-chick]

A man in Australia (self sufficient me) did a video about one of his hens seeing a spider in the coop doorway when being let out and how it remembered to check that doorway every day for another tasty treat....

I truly believe they are far more intelligent than most give them credit for. They mourn, they coddle, and they have over 30 different sounds for communication - and who knows how many postures are also communicating.....

 

[NHMountainMan]

I used to think they ran to me because I was the guy with the food.
Now - I'm thinking that he must have remembered me.

 

[kellyhubb]

yes, most definitely.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Mine had a very frightening experience with a hawk when they were young. Now they watch out for them. They even run when they hear the crows because they know a hawk is near. They respond to calls and they know my car. Chickens have been known to learn and perform tricks. They can associate differences with color and shapes. They arent given as much credit for how smart they actually are. I think it might have something to do with the association between food and intelligence. We like to to think our food is "dumb". It makes it "ok" to the uneducated consumer. At the end of the day our food are just animals and all animals have adapted to survive regardless if they are raised domestically

 

[Diana_burns04]

Yes!! Mine remember my voice and what I look like!! They come running to me when I came home from work!! My hen hawk would stand on my porch and wait for me to come home!! She would tell everyone!! Then they would be with me!!

 

[centrarchid]

My chickens can remember some things for at least two years.

Hens I have had a nest a in garage and successfully rear a brood are prone to go some distance, even the barn, that is well over one hundred yards away to repeat effort. This often entails hens moving through areas occupied by free-range chickens that are not welcoming to the hens moving through to lay an egg each day. Hens will do this even when kept at another location for years before being brought back to live in barn. Hens without prior experience with barn have no such preferences. In some situations I have come to suspect that pullets simply reared in garage will go back and try to use it themselves.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

There's a video floating around that shows a rooster running about a hundred yards down the driveway to meet his girl when he hears her school bus coming down the road.

Oh... that was easy to find

 

[chrissynemetz]

I really think he did recognize your truck. I believe mine know my voice, and recognize the sound of DH truck coming up the road.

 

[Melodychick]

I think so too. When friends stop by and go over to the chicken pen without me the girls ignore them, but as soon as I walk over they stop scratching around and run over.