How intelligent is your chicken?

[AriadneCastro]

I have come across the most diverse opinions on this matter, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other. Actually, there is quite serious investigation being done nowadays, on the brain capacity of chickens. So, what are your feelings/experience on this? Do you believe they are as dumb as popular culture claims, or do you have stories to support otherwise?

 

[Poultry parent]

they are smart enough to figure out how to use a treat ball that they have to roll around to get the food out. mine tug on my pants to get my attention.

 

[Alexandra33]

Chickens are WAY more intelligent than people give them credit for. I've got a few birds with above average "IQs", most of which are lighter breeds. My grandma fed our girls a couple times, and now every time she pulls in the driveway, they come flocking in the most joyful manner. They don't seem to care about any other visitors.

Also, my Sicilian Buttercup made the correlation between the metal trashcan we keep bags of feed in and fast, easy food. All she had to do was beg it from me! They also know the difference between barn cats; for example, after our first kitty died, we were given another as a kind gift. The flock immediately figured out this was a different cat and began bullying her in a way they never did the first. Another really interesting observation I've made is that they aren't afraid of vultures in the least (even when they come and sit on building on our property), but lose their heads if an eagle flies over.

~Alex

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Chickens are not very intelligent, however, there are obvious reasons why. A chickens brain is a lot smaller than you would think. The size of the brain overall shows the capacity of their abilities. Interestingly, for their brain size, I've heard chickens are actually one of the smartest animals (I assume humans are the smartest for brain size). Turkeys are known for being unintelligent, but I wonder if they may have a small cerebrum, where a chickens may be larger--so chickens would have more common sense and thinking capabilities vs. turkeys.

 

[Yoako]

My chickens come when called, I've taught one how to lay down and stay, and they know which container I keep the scraps in. But they also can't find their way out of the coop even when I open all the doors... Weird how the brain works.

 

[AriadneCastro]

I'm waiting to read a few more opinions before I give you mine... Also because I'm fairly new to this (!!!) and want to watch & learn a bit before drawing my own conclusions. For the time being, I'm inclined towards the "smart chicken team"... lol!

Here's a nice piece of information that I've come across, hope you enjoy it!

 

[Calichicken2015]

Definitely chickens are smart! My girl will hear my hubbies truck pull in and perk up...run to the door waiting for him. Doesn't do it with any other truck or car. Also when I come up the stairs...as soon as she hears the creaking...a running she comes to greet me!(she is a house chicken..LOL) She is also SUPER sneaky at getting things she wants...treat bag and obsessed with paper towels. We have to keep then WAY out of reach and boy can she jump!!! LOL

Comes when we call her name and smart enough to run to the door and come in if she doesn't feel safe outside! TEAM SMARTY CHICKEN...all the way!

 

[AriadneCastro]

There are a number of behaviors I see in my birds, which are intriguing, to say the least... I noticed that my teen rooster (4 months old) either calls his girls for a meal every time he sees me approaching OR he understands I'm a female and is trying to win me over with his charm! It goes like this: as soon as he notices my presence, he will stand up and make this specific vocalization, while picking and dropping pieces of food from the floor. I know mature roosters do this as part of their mating rituals, to lure the hens, but *first* he's not fully grown yet and *second* I've seen him do this in the heat of the afternoon, when all hens were already laying next to him, napping or cleaning feathers... I mean, I could clearly see that his action was for me and not for the flock. In any case, whatever his motivation, it definitely shows that he is having some articulate thoughts! Please, if anyone could help me decipher it, I'd be grateful.

 

[Yoako]

After all these story's I'm starting to lean towards "TEAM SMARTY CHICKENS,"

Anyway... I honestly don't know what to think about the whole young rooster thing.

 

[AriadneCastro]

Up-dates on my roosters behavior: Mr. Kelly and his girls are now fully grown. The first eggs appeared a week ago. Kelly is performing all his duties, including watching over the flock, signaling potential predators, finding food for the girls, dancing for them, identifying and preparing good nesting spots, encouraging the hens into them, etc. By all standards, he became a very competent alpha male - and a smart one, for a fact! He continues to announce food whenever he sees me, even when the plates are full and everyone is resting. My conclusion is that he uses every occasion to make himself noticeable, to me and to the flock. He seems to know exactly what we expect from him and does his very best to comply.