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

[scratch'n'peck]

I want to read more stories about bright birds. Who else can tell us about their smart chickens?

 

[Help_battery_hens]

My ex Battery hen Chloe (the one in my pic) is bright. I let all of my girls out into the vegetable patch after the rain so they could have a bit of a worm feast and they all found their way to a newly dug patch of soil around the corner. Three days later and I let them out into this section of the garden again as well as their usual free range patch. All of my girls went straight for the tomato plants etc and Chloe almost followed. She stopped dead in her tracks lifted her head really tall and ran the length of the garden and round the corner to where the newly turned soil was and called all the others frantically to join her. I could see her remembering and her brain ticking. Also I have seen her find two worms when I've been turning the soil both with some distance between them the other hens were all jockeying for the fresh trend soils too so Chloe stretched her wing out over one worm while she ate one then went and ate the one she had covered over with her wing... I think this is pretty intelligent!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

That is pretty intelligent! This is yet another story that demonstrates that chickens are capable of a bit of trickery to protect their food.

 

[openheartnp]

Quote:
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! LOVE IT!!!! My sweet "Peggy" crowed too., Darn.

 

[openheartnp]

My 2 boys each have a rooster. Every day when the school bus drops them off, they come racing towards the coop and the free ranging flock. The 2 roos will race to meet their buddies, each picking his owner, and chase only that one. Then they'll stop, my boys will give them big hugs, and carry them back to where they were ranging.The roos know this is only a game, and although it looks like they are going to attack, they stop on a dime and wait for their big hug.

 

[Mrs.Carron]

One night in July I heard one of my Cochin pullets making a sound outside my sliding door. I opened the door to see Piper sitting on the steps. I went out to see why she wasn't in the coop and the other Cochin pullet came running up to me. I went to the coop to check on the others and noticed something blocking the pop door. While I was fixing the problem the girls walked in the run, up the ramp and began to roost. It was like they came to get me to let me know something was wrong and they needed my help. I was so amazed. I just love my chickens!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Quote:
That's so cool that your sons and the roos have such special relationships. People who don't know chickens don't realize how social they are. Of course social behavior and intelligence go hand in hand.

I checked out your BYC page to see pics, and I must say those roos are handsome as well as smart.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Mrs.Carron :

One night in July I heard one of my Cochin pullets making a sound outside my sliding door. I opened the door to see Piper sitting on the steps. I went out to see why she wasn't in the coop and the other Cochin pullet came running up to me. I went to the coop to check on the others and noticed something blocking the pop door. While I was fixing the problem the girls walked in the run, up the ramp and began to roost. It was like they came to get me to let me know something was wrong and they needed my help. I was so amazed. I just love my chickens!

That's pretty smart, and they don't just associate their human with food.​

 

[ChickenCrazy4ever]

Well, one day Fluffet got out of the run got onto the porch and proceeded to get a wad of duck tape stuck to her foot. Intelligent, right?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Okay, so chickens aren't always smart. I can just imagine her limping around and shaking her foot.