Kind of a complex question but...

[JacinLarkwell]

I love that explanation

It's nature + nurture.

Think about it this way. An incubator hatched and brooder raised chick is the "stock model" it has the instinct and a basic idea of what to do with it, but may not react the best way to each situation as it has not experienced it yet.

A broody raised chick is a "stock model" plus any "upgrades" that come from the mama. I would also venture to say a broody raised chick raised by something like a game bird that is very alert and aware of it's surroundings would get more or better "upgrades" than a chick that was raised by something like a silkie that may also not be super aware of things going on around them.

A chick will always be able to learn as long as learning is not fatal, and can then pass on it's learning to any chicks it raises, but a brooder raised chick has to start at 0 and level up whereas a broody raised chick also starts at 0 but then very quickly gets whatever "upgrades" the broody has, and then when it integrates into the flock and meets other adult chickens it can gain upgrades from them as well.

Did that make any sense?

 

[centrarchid]

Red is nature's way of saying "I'm toxic, don't eat me." most animals understand this signal. Even humans used to go by that, one of the reasons it took forever for people to eat tomatoes, not only are they in the nightshade family and the vine is toxic, but the fruit is red.

Some yellows provide same similar signal. There are multiple yellows.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Diamondsilkies, I think you’ve got something; birds see ultraviolet and maybe it looks different to them.

I’ve been experimenting with my five-week old youngsters. I will play an alarm call for them (YouTube) and they kind of “say” WHATS THAT? They look at each other, the ground, at me... as if they are trying to figure it out. But their actual behavior didn’t change. I wonder how long it’s going to take for them to figure out.

Very very interesting thread!

 

[Kusanar]

Diamondsilkies, I think you’ve got something; birds see ultraviolet and maybe it looks different to them.

I’ve been experimenting with my five-week old youngsters. I will play an alarm call for them (YouTube) and they kind of “say” WHATS THAT? They look at each other, the ground, at me... as if they are trying to figure it out. But their actual behavior didn’t change. I wonder how long it’s going to take for them to figure out.

Very very interesting thread!

I would be careful with that. What you are doing is training them to not respond to an alarm call.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

I would be careful with that. What you are doing is training them to not respond to an alarm call.

Whoops. Certainly don’t want to do that!!

 

[centrarchid]

I think they will still respond appropriately to an in person alarm call.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

I think they will still respond appropriately to an in person alarm call.

How do they learn ... it’s not innate, or they would have responded ?

 

[centrarchid]

How do they learn ... it’s not innate, or they would have responded ?

They can become de-sensitized to any stimulus, especially when it sounds the same every time. Real signals are likely to be clearer and associated with visual cues as well.

 

[Folly's place]

Again, survivors of a bad event learn to be more careful!
Mary

 

[Kusanar]

How do they learn ... it’s not innate, or they would have responded ?

An alarm call is a word that your chickens might not know yet. If you went to another country and found some people that had never heard English spoken before and yelled "run!" and then just stood there and didn't move, they would look at you strangely but wouldn't run. If however you yelled "run!" and took off running and then a tiger took off after everyone, then they would learn quickly that the word run means to get the heck out of dodge, even if you ran and nothing chased you, they would likely also run. Same thing with chickens, you were playing a recording of a chicken yelling "run!" or "fly!" or "hide!" (there are different calls for each) but you did not react appropriately and therefore they did what you did, they looked around and didn't react because you did not act like there was a threat. Now, if you had tossed a beach ball at them when you played it, likely they would all scatter next time expecting the ball to come flying at them.