Girl holding chicken in Argentina

The inner lives of chickens: intelligence, self-control and empathy

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Despite enduring widespread mistreatment as one of the most abused land animals on the planet, chickens have endearing qualities that make them loveable animals.

Despite many misconceptions, these chicken facts reveal these feathered creatures to be clever, emotional beings. Like all other animals, they deserve our respect.

  1. Chickens are social wizards:

    Recent studies about chickens' capacity for social information sharing reveal they're not just clucking around; they're solving puzzles through teamwork.

  2. Counting Chickens:

    Who knew chickens could be mathematical marvels? Research into arithmetic in newborn chicks shows they've got basic maths skills, even a mental number line and can count from left to right. It's time to credit these beautiful birds for more than just laying eggs!

  3. Chickens recognise you:

    According to this study, they can distinguish between friends and strangers. Wouldn't you rather be percieved as a pal?

  4. Communication in the coop! 

    We have Marino (2017) to thank for spilling the beans on their language skills and advocating for the re-framing of current views about their intelligence.

  5. Forget bird-brained: 

    Studies like Szabó et al. (2022) and Wiles et al. (2023) highlight chickens as space masters, adept at problem-solving and object recognition. Which underscores the importance of providing them with enriching environments.

  6. Chickens are quick learners. Chickens getting smarter with a bit of training? Absolutely! Biswal et al. (2022) uncovered their capacity to gather spatial info and ace tasks with a bit of coaching. Forget the old saying; you can teach a chicken new tricks! 

  7. Tweet Serenades: Chickens chirping to their eggs? Adorable! But did you realise they have a repertoire of calls (around thirty) for everything from mealtime to predator alerts.

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