Our rooster sometimes attacks humans, but only half-heartedly.

[chickengeorgeto]

I just don't get why a freaky botched beheading proves chickens are unintelligent.

It doesn't. It proves chickens are governed by instinct more than they are influenced by intelligence. Also don't confuse the imprinting a chick develops to the first thing it sees after hatching for intelligence. That too is instinct even though the chick may accept or rather mistake you for its mama.

 

[ivan3]

chickengeorgeto wrote: In case some of us think that chickens are an intelligent animal, I have over 60 years of experience that says that chickens are not very bright. There was a case in the 1940s where a farmer chopped off Mike the Chicken's head to use his body in a batch of chicken and dumplings. The farmer missed Mike's major arteries and spine, he left SOME of Mike's brain stem but cut his brain clean off. The chicken lived for 18 more months and did or attempted to do all the chicken things Mike did before. Mike enjoyed some success in the entertainment field, appearing in freak shows.

Interesting. What would be some of your hypotheses for what Mike had been doing with that portion of his brain, above the `stem', prior to its being axed away?

I can think of another species that often acts on `instinct' much of the time but, owing to some more complex wiring, rationalizes the behavior, after the fact, as being all sorts of smart - with no evidence for such at all.

 

[gryeyes]

I can think of another species that often acts on `instinct' much of the time but, owing to some more complex wiring, rationalizes the behavior, after the fact, as being all sorts of smart - with no evidence for such at all.

 

[da417]

My Roo was killed by a hawk. I acquired another roo "Hugo the huge"...he is mean. I am tolerating him until I get the run covered...after that, well, if he is still not pleasant to be around I will break out momma's dumpling recipe....but until the run is covered he is an excellent guardian.

 

[hrhta812]

I think I read somewhere that geese are great alarms against aerial predators...of course, then you've got the geese to deal with, so it may not be worth it.

Roosters always have it in for me. A good solid kick to the chest seems to get our Buff Orp's attention. When we had our Leghorn roo, a few years ago, I used to carry my kid's big fat plastic wiffle bat around with me; that roo drew blood on me more than once, but he saved our hens from a neighbor's dog one day, so he got to live.

In the coop, the Buff Orp will go for my hand but I flick water at him and he hates that so he backs off. I wonder if a spray bottle would teach him, you know, like you do with a cat? LOL