Friend thinks Chickens are Plain Stupid. Need some stories to help show that they are not!

[OneCrazyCowgirl]

Told my friend that chickens are like dogs to me. They are a crazy cowgirl's best friend x) they are there when you need someone to talk to and cuddle with. She replied with: Chickens are stupid. They aren't like dogs. They are just boring stinky animals.
NOW that my BYC friends, is not true! I need yall's help by sharing your pics and stories to prove her wrong!

 

[GardenGal]

Sheesh, some friend!

Check out this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/549678/whats-the-smartest-thing-youve-seen-a-chicken-do

 

[theoldchick]

Who's boring? I'll show you.....



Can you eat bread like this? No fingers! That's cheating





Let see you wave your wattles....








Who stinks? I don't stink.






See this scar on my wattle? I didn't get injured by being boring. Come closer. Let me give you a scar.







Put your hand in here. I'll show you boring....





I think I'll go in zombie mode and eat brains.





That's right...stick you hand in here. We'll see how boring it is to draw back a nub.






You wish you looked at good at this.




Well, I certainly don't stink. Nor am I boring.








Check out my fancy footwork. My girls love my dancing.



I can stand on my head!








See how clean my fluffy butt is?





People bore me.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I'm not sure I would ever try to convince someone that chickens are smart because, well, while I might not use the word stupid, they are not the brightest. But, they are amazing pets and extremely functional animals. No, they are not anything like dogs but who wants them to be? Dogs do not make you breakfast and require a huge time commitment and expense. Chickens are lovely and sort of awesomely self-sufficient. Caring for them is easy and once you get going relatively inexpensive. They are excavators and composters. They FLY and are DINOSAURS!!! They have distinct personalities, a complex social structure and a very interesting biology. Any animals, including humans, that are not cared for properly will stink. Dogs also smell. My chickens to a better job of self-cleaning than my dogs do.

Chickens may be a little stupid and not like dogs but that does not mean they are not great on their own unique merits.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have, on many occasions, had moments with my birds that proved to me how incredible they are as pets. Just yesterday, I was heading back from the Guinea coop after herding them into their aviary for the night when one such moment happened. The Guineas are housed a good distance from the chickens because of lack of space up at the house (and maybe the noise, too, but that's a secondary reason). As I walked toward the coop, I looked up to see my girl Frou-frou running, head down, legs a blur, right at me. Oh, she must have thought she'd never see me again! So when she reached me, I swept her into my arms and carried her as I went on my way. She snuggled up in the crook of my arm, her head rested on my shoulder, and just talked along the whole way. How is that so much different than someone's pet dog?

Needless to say, I love these birds. (I'd add more stories, but I'm in school and class is about to start. )

 

[GardenGal]

When I say, "Ginger, no no" our big buff Sussex will turn around and come back to her own yard. They are all so expressive and love to putter. I stand out there for an hour every afternoon and am entertained the whole time. Maybe your friend needs to visit your chickens!

 

[PrairieChickens]

Chickens communicate with over 30 different vocalizations (you could call them words if you wish), and posses the ability to know that an object still exists even when it is hidden from view--something human toddlers can't even do. They can be trained to do tricks, will nurture and defend members of their flock, and care for their young. In addition, a chicken can remember and recognize over a hundred different individuals--chickens or human alike--and have a complex social structure and engage in complex social interactions.

The members of my flock run the spectrum from boneheaded to brilliant, with Winnie being the smartest bird in my flock. Winnie figures things out faster than any of the other birds, and was quite the escape artist as a chick because she could figure out ways of getting out of the run that involved three or more steps to execute. Among the other members of my flock, I have chickens who come when I call them by name, chickens who like to be snuggled and petted, chickens who only come when I have their favorite treat (and they can tell from the far end of the yard if I've got the good stuff or not), and then I have chickens who do things like get their fat butts stuck in odd places because they can't figure out how to get out the way they came in, and chickens who are terrified of me even though I raised them from chicks and handled them every day. They are all individuals.

If you engage the chickens early on in their development, interact with them, challenge them, and reward them for being inquisitive, they will grow up to be quite interesting creatures. If all you do is stick them in a pen and throw them feed once a day, they're going to be boring lumps of feathers. Just like with dogs or cats or any other pet, you get out of them only as much as you put in.

 

[OneCrazyCowgirl]

Thank yall so much!

 

[TallChickMagnet]

Some of mine are as dumb as rocks, while others are as smart as my dogs. I have three that come when I call there names. I have two that follow me around and like playing games like tag and hide and seek. Those same two like to get on the tops of my feet/shoes and have me walk with them there.

When I give them snacks some wait for me to throw it down, while others jump up and take the snacks out of my hands. Also when open the gate to go into their run to fill their food dish they bunch up around my feet and make it hard for me to walk so I throw a few snacks a few feet away and they run to the snacks, giving me walking room. That is they use to. More and more are catching on, and not going for the snacks, but staying with me to give them the real food.

Some smart, others not so...

 

[froggiesheins]

Chickens communicate with over 30 different vocalizations (you could call them words if you wish), and posses the ability to know that an object still exists even when it is hidden from view--something human toddlers can't even do.  They can be trained to do tricks, will nurture and defend members of their flock, and care for their young.  In addition, a chicken can remember and recognize over a hundred different individuals--chickens or human alike--and have a complex social structure and engage in complex social interactions.

The members of my flock run the spectrum from boneheaded to brilliant, with Winnie being the smartest bird in my flock.  Winnie figures things out faster than any of the other birds, and was quite the escape artist as a chick because she could figure out ways of getting out of the run that involved three or more steps to execute.  Among the other members of my flock, I have chickens who come when I call them by name, chickens who like to be snuggled and petted, chickens who only come when I have their favorite treat (and they can tell from the far end of the yard if I've got the good stuff or not), and then I have chickens who do things like get their fat butts stuck in odd places because they can't figure out how to get out the way they came in, and chickens who are terrified of me even though I raised them from chicks and handled them every day.  They are all individuals.

If you engage the chickens early on in their development, interact with them, challenge them, and reward them for being inquisitive, they will grow up to be quite interesting creatures.  If all you do is stick them in a pen and throw them feed once a day, they're going to be boring lumps of feathers.  Just like with dogs or cats or any other pet, you get out of them only as much as you put in.

               

AMEN!

Well said and then some.....