Would you say chickens are smart?

[Silkiefan]

My Silkie hen is content to be picked up and plopped somewhere... where she will stare off into space for hours and hours... unless she's eating, she's pretty much a blank slate. I've never known chickens to stare vapidly off into the ether!
... and then there's the Barred Rock, whom I'm posting a frantic post about (because she's a chick, meant to replace the rooster that the Silkie grew up with but rehomed due to crowing...and the Silkie is attacking her, so they live separately which is a lot of work... if you have advice... ) but anyway, I was saying that the Barred Rock is totally the opposite : for one thing, even at 4 weeks, she flies, so she's constantly checking out the family... jump/flying from head to head. She's precocious and eats out of our mouths, runs desperately after me and my son whom she's adopted as flockmates... and she is smart! She recognizes that water bottles contain water so she pecks at them when she wants water (she has plenty available, just wants ours) She seems to learn new things after the third try, whereas the Silkie seems to enjoy watching TV with the hubby all day if allowed- and I think she'd starve or die of thirst if we didn't put her out in the yard for feeding time...
I don't know if this is measurable intelligence or if it's just a difference in personality & breed. Either way, I like them both the way they are and only wish they'd get along.

 

[2boxers]

My silkies seem to be very intelligent. The rest of the crowd seem to be LD, ADD, or OCD.

 

[joebryant]

Yep, they're smart alright.
I taught mine calculus and the theory of relativity. They're now working on solving Pi and a new type of bomb that will enable them to take over the world and severely punish those who question their intelligence.

 

[crait]

Of course they are!
Duh!

 

[ChicknJ]

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I think our chickens have been PM'ing each other, I found my T-84 and some loose wires in the coop this morning

 

[Clay In Iowa]

The only thing I've found to be dumber than a chicken is an Oak post.

Seriously the reason they don't drink or smoke pot is that if they loose a single brain cell they won't have enough left to keep breathing.

 

[hyperslug]

When mine start watering and feeding themselves then I will call them smart. Or maybe they are smart because they get me to do it.

 

[crait]

I actually found a website ran by chickens!!

 

[Castaway]

Quote:
I agree with everything you said about chicken 'smarts'. Also, I think when poking fun at chicken intelligence we all might remind ourselves that humans have been breeding chickens for well over 5000 years, which may account for some of the perceptions. The wild ancestor of these domesticated chickens is probably a lot smarter.

 

[ChickenCharmer]

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