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

[TheSpiceGirls]

scratch'n'peck :

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Great Spice Girls videos, I think I will share some banana with my chickens. I also checked out their nest box drama video that was lined up behind it, which is quite an example of clear chicken communication.

Thank you scratch'n'peck. They are funny. Sometimes, I can figure out exactly what they want and other times, I so wish I had some sort of decoding device.​

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

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Great Spice Girls videos, I think I will share some banana with my chickens. I also checked out their nest box drama video that was lined up behind it, which is quite an example of clear chicken communication.

Thank you scratch'n'peck. They are funny. Sometimes, I can figure out exactly what they want and other times, I so wish I had some sort of decoding device.

Over here if you say "who wants a BANANA?" they come running! But you'd better actually have a BANANA, and not anything else, they'll cry and whine til you produce a banana, like, "..but you SAID the BANANA word......what kind of a cruel trick is this?!"

 

[patricium]

It's so funny how different flocks have such different preferences. Mine hate bananas. I've tried to share one with them several times, and maybe once in a while one will take a bite, but then they kinda spit it out and wipe their beaks on me. They don't like anything with that slightly sticky texture. When I feed them warm oatmeal in the winter, I just pour hot water over it. If it sits too long and gets soft, they won't eat it.

They are willing to make an exception for shredded cheese. They recognize the plastic bag it comes in.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

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It is funny what they have a preference for. I had read that chickens don't have a good sense of taste but beg to differ.

I was just reading another thread "What treats did your chickens get today?" and someone posted that theirs got broccoli. Mine won't sniff at broccoli.

 

[sbtgal]

I just introduced two younger pullets in with three older girls. The old girls were asserting themselves and dishing out pretty firm pecks. My two young girls were having none of that, so they flew up and landed on my shoulder and head! The big girls would leave, little ones would fly down. Big girls would come back, little girls would fly up. MOM! PROTECT US!

Too cute!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

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Yep, they know who will protect them!

 

[PorkyPete]

My pullet moving an egg from one nesting box to another

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

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Cheeeeeeezzzzzz, mmmmmmmmm, that's their favorite. Once we gave them shredded carrots and they were almost ready to behead us for that crime. They obviously were expecting cheese.

But, I stopped giving them pre-shredded cheese from the bag, it is usually laced with natamycin. I was afraid that could adversely affect their gut flora, like it does with people. I spoil them, so.... they get hand shredded or hand sliced cheeeeeeeezzzzzz treats from us. Nothing but the #*!$&! best for our birdies.

 

[patricium]

Hmm. (runs off and checks the cheese bag, then does some research...)
Yes, my shredded cheese does have natamycin. From a quick google search, it appears natamycin is pretty popular as an additive for poultry feeds too, so it's not intrinsically harmful to them. It's an antifungal, and not effective on bacteria, so it may not affect the chickens gut flora. It is a substance produced by a bacteria that lives in fermented milk, so it qualifies for use in organic foods. There's been no observed buildup of resistance to it in the 20 years it's been used in the food industry. (Anything I typed here is from more than one source, and not all the sources are on food manufacturer PR sites. ;-)

I think I'll continue to use the pre-shredded cheese - they like it better because it's finer shreds than I can make, and it's less sticky. (There's that stickyness aversion again.) And when I have a chicken in one hand, it's hard to shred cheese. I usually use cheese as an individual treat if I think somebody needs to gain a little weight, or had a tough day. But I fully support your own decision, and thanks for pointing that out so I could research and think about it myself.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I found a thread posted by a BYC member who actually tried clicker training (It even includes photos). Check it out: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=266465&p=1

If you have any stories of your own about smart chickens, be sure to post them on this thread.