Thinking chickens: a review of cognition, emotion, and behavior in the domestic chicken
- Thread starter Henrik Petersson
- Start date
Super fascinating! Thanks so much for posting!
wow, I'm taking some time to read this, very interesting, thanks for posting! I hope to get back here with some comments when I'm done.
This was so interesting! As a new chicken owner, I was amazed by how smart and full of personality they are! I’m amazed at the things they do and how they interact with each other and me. These smart, sweet, and complex animals deserve more respect than they get!!
Here's a short excerpt.
After reading this, I'm thinking maybe my chickens could do a better job than me at balancing my checkbook.
Sensory abilities
Chickens are sensitive to touch, and their skin contains numerous kinds of receptors for temperature, pressure, and pain. The beak of the chicken, as in all birds, is a complex sensory organ with numerous nerve endings. The beak not only serves to grasp and manipulate food items, but is also used to manipulate non-food objects in nesting and exploration, drinking, and preening. It is also used as a weapon in defensive and aggressive encounters. At the end of the beak is a specialized cluster of highly sensitive mechanoreceptors, called the bill tip organ, which allows chickens to make fine tactile discriminations (Gentle and Breward 1986). Needless to say, damage to the beak is intensely painful, as partially debeaked chickens show a significant increase in guarding behavior, i.e., tucking the bill under the wing, and diminished use of the bill for pecking and preening after the procedure. These pain-related behaviors may continue for months (Duncan et al. 1989; Gentle et al. 1990, 1991).
Chickens, like most birds, depend highly on well-developed visual abilities which allow them to focus close-up and far away at the same time in different parts of their visual field (Dawkins 1995; Dawkins and Woodington 1997), and see a broader range of colors than humans (Ham and Osorio 2007). Chickens can detect both low- and high-frequency sound at a variety of pressure levels. Their adeptness with low-frequency sound may include a capacity to detect sounds that humans cannot hear (infra-sound below 20 Hz) (Gleich and Langermann 2011). Chickens also possess well-developed senses of smell and taste (Jones and Roper 1997). Finally, like some other birds, chickens (though not all breeds) possess the ability to detect and orient to magnetic fields (Freire et al. 2008). All of these capacities come into play when assessing their cognitive capacities.
After reading this, I'm thinking maybe my chickens could do a better job than me at balancing my checkbook.
Sensory abilities
Chickens are sensitive to touch, and their skin contains numerous kinds of receptors for temperature, pressure, and pain. The beak of the chicken, as in all birds, is a complex sensory organ with numerous nerve endings. The beak not only serves to grasp and manipulate food items, but is also used to manipulate non-food objects in nesting and exploration, drinking, and preening. It is also used as a weapon in defensive and aggressive encounters. At the end of the beak is a specialized cluster of highly sensitive mechanoreceptors, called the bill tip organ, which allows chickens to make fine tactile discriminations (Gentle and Breward 1986). Needless to say, damage to the beak is intensely painful, as partially debeaked chickens show a significant increase in guarding behavior, i.e., tucking the bill under the wing, and diminished use of the bill for pecking and preening after the procedure. These pain-related behaviors may continue for months (Duncan et al. 1989; Gentle et al. 1990, 1991).
Chickens, like most birds, depend highly on well-developed visual abilities which allow them to focus close-up and far away at the same time in different parts of their visual field (Dawkins 1995; Dawkins and Woodington 1997), and see a broader range of colors than humans (Ham and Osorio 2007). Chickens can detect both low- and high-frequency sound at a variety of pressure levels. Their adeptness with low-frequency sound may include a capacity to detect sounds that humans cannot hear (infra-sound below 20 Hz) (Gleich and Langermann 2011). Chickens also possess well-developed senses of smell and taste (Jones and Roper 1997). Finally, like some other birds, chickens (though not all breeds) possess the ability to detect and orient to magnetic fields (Freire et al. 2008). All of these capacities come into play when assessing their cognitive capacities.
Very interesting, I was first to click on it but I’ve been reading it in segments throughout the day so I only was able to post now
Rainbowskyes
Chirping
Great read! My favorite pass time is sitting in my chicken run with my coffee, just watching my girls interact, not only with each other but with me, the dogs, cats, birds flying over head and simply the world around them. I am amazed by their funny behaviors and every so often am not sure if I have caught them in the act of doing something purposely, with reason behind their action. Just yesterday, I threw some fruits in the coop, my golden retrievers favorite treats are canteploupe and apples, she looked longingly at it all, through the fence that separates them. I have one chicken, Cuckoo, that loves my dog and I swear they have conversations through the fence with one another. Anyhow, I watched Cuckoo pushing and kicking three pieces of cantaloupe over to the fence until my dog could reach in with her paws and get them. Then she went back to eating. Im standing there watching, thinking there is no way she could be purposefully doing this... but I honestly think she did! I have 4 parrots, and I have no doubt, they are as equally as intelligent.
Great story! There's something about chickens and dogs. If the dog can get past seeing the chicken as a snack, they're capable of being friends.
It could have been mere coincidence that the fruit got kicked over to the fence. But then, only your hen and your dog know the real truth.
It could have been mere coincidence that the fruit got kicked over to the fence. But then, only your hen and your dog know the real truth.
Rainbowskyes
Chirping
Exactly right!
Sunshine Flock
Crowing
I'd like to learn more about chickens and magnetic alignment.
Also, there's quite a variance in attitudes toward roosters and a tendency toward a narrow understanding of who they are and their capability of learning humans. We must dominate them completely to alter their behavior to something we can tolerate, according to one popular school of thought.
I understand this thinking, but I've also experienced something deeper than mere dominance that has allowed me to work my rooster Henry. I'd love to learn more about a chicken's capability for emotional intelligence.
And we have observed Henry's ability to recognize members of other species as non-threatening in response to repeat experiences with them. This includes our neighbor, who took delight in Henry's crowing every time he would see her. Much to her disappointment, he no longer does this — and yet he only ever sees her from a good distance.
We have eight cats and four dogs. He doesn't trust our dogs, but he never crows or mad clucks when he sees them; same with our cats. But when Henry sees a cat or dog he doesn't know, he immediately sounds the alarm and mad clucks. With people he's more likely to crow instead.
It's remarkable that a winged creature does this. It's even more remarkable that the dogs always bark whenever our neighbor drives down her driveway or visits, but Henry recognizes her as a friendly now and no longer reacts.
This aspect of chicken intelligence would make for an interesting read.
Also, there's quite a variance in attitudes toward roosters and a tendency toward a narrow understanding of who they are and their capability of learning humans. We must dominate them completely to alter their behavior to something we can tolerate, according to one popular school of thought.
I understand this thinking, but I've also experienced something deeper than mere dominance that has allowed me to work my rooster Henry. I'd love to learn more about a chicken's capability for emotional intelligence.
And we have observed Henry's ability to recognize members of other species as non-threatening in response to repeat experiences with them. This includes our neighbor, who took delight in Henry's crowing every time he would see her. Much to her disappointment, he no longer does this — and yet he only ever sees her from a good distance.
We have eight cats and four dogs. He doesn't trust our dogs, but he never crows or mad clucks when he sees them; same with our cats. But when Henry sees a cat or dog he doesn't know, he immediately sounds the alarm and mad clucks. With people he's more likely to crow instead.
It's remarkable that a winged creature does this. It's even more remarkable that the dogs always bark whenever our neighbor drives down her driveway or visits, but Henry recognizes her as a friendly now and no longer reacts.
This aspect of chicken intelligence would make for an interesting read.
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