Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[mixedUPturk]

Hello @mixedUPturk .
You're a bit more livestock than pets if my memory serves me. It's getting harder and harder here to find a thread that concentrates on chickens here.
I'm an admirer of @BY Bob 's video clips and behaviour observations.

Yes sir! But once ive had em that long-- the line blurs. I havent been able to put down a spent hen for example. I figure theyve earned their retirement.

If AnYbOdY hasnt read Shads stories then get to it! Theyre wonderfully entertaining and insightful

 

[biophiliac]

You can say they can count; up to 107 if my memory serves me.
There have been some recent studies that have been summarized in the links below.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/8/1/13/htm

I've got more.

Thank you for the links.

Below is one of my favorites on bird brains, avian neuroanatomy.... It seems like I have always wondered how birds create such intelligent behavior from such small size brains. This article gave me the first plausible theory and your first link reminded me of it. I have linked to it prev on BYC but I think it's worth another post. BTW, Welcome to FLUFFY BUTTS Enjoy your commentary and I would appreciate if you would dole out some more of your links over here.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160613153411.htm

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you for the links.

Below is one of my favorites on bird brains, avian neuroanatomy.... It seems like I have always wondered how birds create such intelligent behavior from such small size brains. This article gave me the first plausible theory and your first link reminded me of it. I have linked to it prev on BYC but I think it's worth another post. BTW, Welcome to FLUFFY BUTTS Enjoy your commentary and I would appreciate if you would dole out some more of your links over here.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160613153411.htm

Hello Biophiliac.
I've read a couple of published papers on this subject, one in Nature I think, can't remember the other.
I think what I'm about to write was accurate at the time of reading the papers. A friend of my niece is currently doing a research project on avian brains. Tbh, I don't know enough about biology to follow the stuff in the papers.
I think, chickens have the largest relative brain size of any bird/fowl.
There is a story that some American aeronautical engineers were frustrated by the inability of the flight computers in combat aircraft to make the same maneuvers as a bird.
As the story has it one engineer mentioned that if a bird can decelerate from say 30 mph to zero and land on a branch with perfect balance, jump and do a 360 turn and this bird has the brain the size of a very small walnut then we either need to examine the birds brain, or reinvent the computer.
Apparently it's not just the neuron density, it's the firing speed. I can't recall exactly how much quicker the firing rate is but it's double integers faster than humans. Bird brains are like a modern hyper threading multi core computer processor while ours, while powerful are like old main frame computers from the 60's.
There has been a problem with human interest in animal intelligence for quite a few centuries now. Firstly, there was no profit seen in it. The next problem was trying to define intelligence. The term is used a lot but there is no short definition.
Some scientists stopped making the rather pointless comparison between human and avian intelligence. You're then left with the possibility that in this case chickens could be just as intelligent as we are but with a different skill set that makes different demands on their brain depending on physiology.
That is getting into very hot territory. Very few people, let alone academics want to go down that route. You can imagine the outcry from the various institutions that have elevated man above the other creatures on the planet.
I think the chickens here are very smart. Their ability to adapt which I consider a major component of intelligence is incredible. I've seen incredible levels of cooperative behaviour with the tribes here. That I think is also a factor in intelligence.
Sry, going on a bit.
Mind you, I did join BYC to chat about chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

dignity and nobility

I couldn't find a tree called stubborn,

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you for the links.

Below is one of my favorites on bird brains, avian neuroanatomy.... It seems like I have always wondered how birds create such intelligent behavior from such small size brains. This article gave me the first plausible theory and your first link reminded me of it. I have linked to it prev on BYC but I think it's worth another post. BTW, Welcome to FLUFFY BUTTS Enjoy your commentary and I would appreciate if you would dole out some more of your links over here.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160613153411.htm

I meant to mention before I got carried away that one of the good things about the first paper in the links I posted is the text links you to the study info. Some can be read online.

 

[Ribh]

If AnYbOdY hasnt read Shads stories then get to it! Theyre wonderfully entertaining and insightful

Indeed they are. While academic papers can be interesting, theories drawn from personal observation & interaction are often more beneficial, which is why I love Shad's stories. Plus a lot of the academics goes over my head. I'm not a scientist. But tell me about what goes on in your flock & you'll have my complete attention.

 

[Shadrach]

Everyone is being very kind about my stories. Thank you all.
I enjoy writing them.

 

[LozzyR]

I couldn't find a tree called stubborn,

I know! Hibiscus!

 

[BY Bob]

Things are a little hairy here right now

That nasty weather I told you all about yesterday has arrived. Everyone but Lilly was locked out of the coop as the door closed 30 min before sunset. Poor Hattie and Maleficent were standing on the porch complaining when I went out. It was very dark out. Tornado watches are up. It has rained since last night with the worst still to come. Here is the sky 30 min before sunset.

 

[BY Bob]

Everyone is safely tucked in now.