- Jul 6, 2013
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Quite a few folks have described their Sumatras as "intelligent", and you will read that in most descriptions of them, but I'd like to give a few examples of how they exhibit their intelligence.
I had fenced maybe a dozen eight month old sumatras behind our barn to keep them out of the garden. From their pen in the barn they had access to an area approximately 30x100 feet and were separated from the garden by a 4 foot high sheep fence. I would often walk from the garden to the barn and rather than walk the long way around I would push down and step over the fence as a short cut. Soon after I came to the garden one afternoon and found my sumatras tearing up the rows. When I chased them out they ran to the fence and each bird flew over the fence in the exact spot they had watched me step over!
I have seen pullets group together to chase a cat away, and often birds will be under foot while I am gardening: eating the bugs exposed when I move a pot, dancing around the hoe picking grubs from the freshly turned soil, and drinking from the watering can.
Other poultry breeds have personalities and can be very tame, but my Junglefowl are the only chickens I have seen exceed the sumatras intelligence. (Okay, I guess now I have to validate that statement!)
My grey junglefowl rooster was scratching for seeds that were hidden under dry leaves and consequently kicked a pile of leaves into the water fount. He then turned about and stepped back aghast! There was no more water to be seen! He poked through the leaves to find there was still water beneath and took a drink. Then he proceeded to scratch the leaves from the fount. Each leaf that he couldn't get with his foot he picked out with his beak! When he had finished cleaning the water fount he gave a little "humph!" shook himself, and ran off.
So sorry for that tangent! I suppose I should say that Sumatras are the most intelligent "domesticated" chickens I have seen. But I was so surprised when I watched my grey do that and I just had to tell that story since we are discussing smart birds here anyhow.
-Stephen
I had fenced maybe a dozen eight month old sumatras behind our barn to keep them out of the garden. From their pen in the barn they had access to an area approximately 30x100 feet and were separated from the garden by a 4 foot high sheep fence. I would often walk from the garden to the barn and rather than walk the long way around I would push down and step over the fence as a short cut. Soon after I came to the garden one afternoon and found my sumatras tearing up the rows. When I chased them out they ran to the fence and each bird flew over the fence in the exact spot they had watched me step over!
I have seen pullets group together to chase a cat away, and often birds will be under foot while I am gardening: eating the bugs exposed when I move a pot, dancing around the hoe picking grubs from the freshly turned soil, and drinking from the watering can.
Other poultry breeds have personalities and can be very tame, but my Junglefowl are the only chickens I have seen exceed the sumatras intelligence. (Okay, I guess now I have to validate that statement!)
My grey junglefowl rooster was scratching for seeds that were hidden under dry leaves and consequently kicked a pile of leaves into the water fount. He then turned about and stepped back aghast! There was no more water to be seen! He poked through the leaves to find there was still water beneath and took a drink. Then he proceeded to scratch the leaves from the fount. Each leaf that he couldn't get with his foot he picked out with his beak! When he had finished cleaning the water fount he gave a little "humph!" shook himself, and ran off.
So sorry for that tangent! I suppose I should say that Sumatras are the most intelligent "domesticated" chickens I have seen. But I was so surprised when I watched my grey do that and I just had to tell that story since we are discussing smart birds here anyhow.
-Stephen
