What's The "Smartest" Thing You've Seen a Chicken Do?

[Sonoran Silkies]

One day GoldeMaine started crowing non-stop. Now he, like my other birds would crow off and onn all day, but none ever crowed non-stop. I went to check on him, and he was standing at the edge of the pool, right beside where one of his hens had fallen in. As soon as he saw me, he stopped crowing. Without his crowing, I am sure I would not have found her in time to save her before her feathers became waterlogged and she went under.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

This is a really interesting thread, I find animal intelligence to be fascinating.
Redcatcher, I bet they won't have any problem with color differentiation once they figure out what you are asking of them.

I have seen similar videos of clicker training, including ones where chickens complete agility courses.

I haven't had the patience to train my chickens in a systematic way. I have thought about introducing a mirror to their run to see if they would show evidence of recognizing their reflection.

Here's my story:

I had an ornery 2 year old OEG who I hand raised who was upset that he and his hens were relocated to a new aviary. Instinctually, he wanted to go back to his old coop of course, he just kept staring through the wire mesh at his old coop. It was getting dark and I felt bad for him, but I wasn't sure how to help him since we hadn't been on good terms since he became protector of his flock. I wanted him to join his hens who were starting to roost in their new shelter. On a whim, I held up my arm and pointed to it trying to signal that he should fly up and perch. To my amazement he flew up and politely perched. Then I walked over to the shelter and waited, after a minute he flew over to the roof of the shelter where his hens were roosting on the perch.

As a chick he had perched on me, but never on command, so this wasn't something that he was trained to do. Although this story provides nothing that is measurable or repeatable, it suggests a certain sophistication of social cognition. It reminds me of how injured chickens somehow seem to know that I am trying to help them by treating them.

 

[bantiebabe1200]

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What a great roo! I love a roo who will look after the hens, but I've never heard of a roo crowing non-stop until some one came out. Great story!

I don't really have much of story myself. Out of a good couple hundred chickens that I loved to death, I have to say that my only "smartish" one was a red partridge cochin hen bantam that I trained for showmanship to walk across the table, and she would earn treats for this and would get very inthuiastic to do it, lol. I know that with a lot of patience and a treat the chicken really loves you can teach them lots, but I never got too involved with this.

 

[sianara]

A few years ago I had a female russian orloff "Tatiana" that used to jump up on my shoulders when I least expected it and try to climb to the top of my head. After weeks of trying to stop her from doing this I decided to "train" her to jump up to my arm. Surprisingly, she learned to follow my command the first time. I would hold my arm straight out and call out to her "Tatiana, JUMP!" and she would come running from wherever she was and JUMP right up onto my arm. Then I'd slowly move my arm into my body and talk softly to her and she'd settle down for a bit of petting/snuggling. Sadly, she died after only a year...

I don't know how smart this is but my bantam hens also jump up to get leaves off bushes that are in their yard. Here's a video of Ethel doing it a few weeks ago.





I have another longer video of six of them doing it simultaneously on a lower bush but it was too big to upload.

 

[sianara]

My bantam ducks are pretty good about going into their run when I say "Ok, people, it's time for bed". (I'm sure my body language of coming up and gently herding them towards it helps

)

My big ducks usually know when it's bed time and are hanging around outside the door to their run (which is always left open). I walk into their run and unhook the door that's been hooked open all day long and wave my hand as if to invite them in while saying "Come on in ladies, it's time for bed." And they almost always start quacking/talking amongst (much head bobbing) themselves and in single file walk into the run. I promptly close and lock the door behind them for the night. Cracks me up every time. I'll have to try and video it soon...

 

[stormylady]

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[scratch'n'peck]

I want more stories of smart chickens!

 

[groundpecker]

If there is a preditor around during free range time, i have a rooster that will run up to the glass door and keep making the warning sound until i come out.

 

[Cindilou]

I posted a few days ago about my ee hen finishing up her mom duties and was ready to go back to the coop. But, she didn't want to go to her original coop where she is on the bottom of the pecking order, she chose the second coop where she is high in the pecking order. So that's where she is now.
I suppose I would rather be queen of coop 2 than peasant of coop 1 if I were a chicken, as well.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRG4K3j3rnQ

15 second video of my smart little chicken