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

[scratch'n'peck]

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That's pretty cool. Have you seen the girls doing it on their own, too? Stan the man is smart and handsome.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have seen roosters fake tid-bitting. They pretend to have food and call over the hens. If the roosters are actually aware that they are that there is no food to be had, then they are engaging in deception, which takes some brains. I know crows have been observed by scientists pretending to hide food while other crows are watching and then go and hide it somewhere else in secret, which is clearly deception. Considering that crows are considered one of the smartest birds around, I doubt that chickens are quite as bright, but I bet that chickens are easier to train.

 

[Magic Birdie]

I don't have chickens

 

[Whittni]

I've seen my little rosecomb bantam pair climb on my straw bails to keep a worm they find away from the bigger hens and then they split in half(tug it to pieces first)! Its really cute/smart.

 

[Lacey1988]

go in the pen by itself lol....but seriously my leghorn figured out theres cat food on the table outside and she waits to all the other are not around then she jumps up there

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Yep, I think any example of a sneaky chicken demonstrates intelligence. The chickens have to have a conception of how the other chickens may react if they see them with food. The sneaky chickens delay immediate gratification and make the judgement that if they eat when or where others won't see them they will get more of the food.

 

[JP101010]

When our 2 SLW hens were just about to start laying , they would go and sit on the edge of the nesting box watching whoever was in there laying- as if they were secretly taking notes and asking the successful layer "whats your secret"

It really threw the girls for a loop when our Bantam Cochin Cockerel started getting in the nest box , fluffing up and singing egg songs
I have a Youtube Video of this all in action

be sure to turn you volume up when you watch the video

 

[scratch'n'peck]

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That's a funny video. I also enjoyed your video on the inter-species love story.

 

[JP101010]

Thanks! its a fun hobby and the animals just keep giving me such good material lol I cant help but to kick start their new found celebrity status. Does that make me a poultry stage mom

??

 

[spacecowgirl]

This is a great thread! My main chicken, Brownie, is smart as well. She is also a little Houdini and is constantly flying the coop, literally. Of course she immediately hops up the stairs to the back deck and pecks on the door because she knows that's where her human is, always ready with treats.

But this made me go on a youtube search and I found this video, which I think is fascinating...goes to show that chickens really do have some brains.