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Study: Chickens Might Be as Smart as Dolphins
San Jose Mercury News ^ | 1/4

Posted on 01/06/2017 7:18:41 PM PST by nickcarraway

Often dismissed as bird-brains, chickens are showing they’ve got some smarts

As we get ready to launch ourselves into the Year of the Rooster, here’s news that could give you new respect for the humble chicken.

Researchers have determined that chickens are smarter than we think, have a good measure of self-control, and might even have Machiavellian tendencies.

A study published this week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Animal Cognition, revealed that those bird-brained chickens are actually pretty smart, as most backyard chicken farmers have long maintained.

Neuroscientist Lori Marino authored the paper, which compiled the conclusions of several studies showing that chickens demonstrate self-control and self-assessment, which may indicate self-awareness. They also show the capacity for cunning and duplicity, which Marino described as Machiavellian-like social interactions.

Marino is the executive director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that supports basic animal rights.

Among the observations in the paper:

Chickens possess some understanding of numbers and basic arithmetic.

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: chicken; dolphins; intelligence
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To: nickcarraway

Sounds like the researchers may be about as smart as chickens...which is no where near as smart as dolphins...


61 posted on 01/07/2017 2:44:52 AM PST by Wpin ("I Have Sworn Upon the Altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny...")
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve belched out more functioning brain cells in one little burp than most chickens have.

Chickens are dumb as a box of rocks. You can teach them some silly tricks if you want to spend the time, but they are dumb.

I grew up raising chickens for eggs and meat, usually 100+ per batch. As smart as dolphins? Perhaps, but only the dolphins caught 3 days ago in a drift net...


62 posted on 01/07/2017 2:51:38 AM PST by Don W ( When blacks riot, neighborhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn.)
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To: nickcarraway

So we should feel better about eating dolphin. /s


63 posted on 01/07/2017 2:57:42 AM PST by UnwashedPeasant (I told you so)
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To: Larry Lucido

“They taste at least as good.”

Only us old folks remember how good real canned tuna tasted with the dolphin meat back in the day.


64 posted on 01/07/2017 3:00:17 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Daffynition

Lol


65 posted on 01/07/2017 3:01:10 AM PST by Rusty0604
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To: nickcarraway

Liberals have a serious problem with word creep, expanding “trauma” and “rape” to anything that they don’t like, hate speech to include “I disagree with it”. By demanding that X be outlawed and expanding the definition of X, they get to ban much more than what was agreed to.

I think there’s a deliberate effort here with scope creep, too. Say “we shouldn’t torture/abuse/eat/experiment on the smart animals”. Then define various acts and behaviors as intelligent, making many species too “smart” to be allowed to be kept in any capacity for human use.


66 posted on 01/07/2017 7:01:01 AM PST by tbw2
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To: nickcarraway

There are no fried dolphin restaurants.


67 posted on 01/07/2017 7:07:57 AM PST by rhoda_penmark
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To: nickcarraway

I had an 8th grade science teacher who told the class if dolphins had thumbs we’d all be carrying them around in buckets saying “yes, sir!”


68 posted on 01/07/2017 7:25:15 AM PST by Rebelbase (ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/PBS/CNN/FOX are THE LEGACY MEDIA)
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To: Ditter

I agree, having raised them in my early teens.
I thought hens were the dumbest things I had ever seen.
Roosters on the other hand were brighter, and seemed to have much more sense.

I recall my grandmother telling me you could hypnotize a hen.
We got a length of string, and laid it out as straight as possible.
Then got on our knees and held the chicken quietly with it’s beak on the tip of the string, so it could gaze down the string’s length.

After a minute or two you could gently release your hold on the hen, and it would stay there for several minutes before “snapping” and walking away.

My friend “Kookie” (from across the street), and I, would each do that to a chicken at the same time to see which one would last longer.
A contest!

Astounding.
Especially to a 13 year old.


69 posted on 01/07/2017 9:12:32 AM PST by Verbosus (/* No Comment */)
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To: Verbosus

Did you ever hear about the drowning in a heavy rain thing? After it happened at my house someone else told me they had heard of chickens drowning themselves in a rain storm.


70 posted on 01/07/2017 9:14:55 AM PST by Ditter (God Bless Texas!)
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To: Ditter

I never heard of that, but would’ be surprised.


71 posted on 01/07/2017 9:22:28 AM PST by Verbosus (/* No Comment */)
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To: tumblindice

Forgot about “miracle Mike.” Proof they don’t need a brain stem to live. Very stupid creatures, funny but stupid.


72 posted on 01/07/2017 9:30:36 AM PST by Karliner (Jeremiah29:11,Romans8:28 Isa 17, Damascus has fallen)
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To: Verbosus

I would have had trouble believing that if I had not seen it myself. I ran out when I saw my chickens falling over and chased the others into their shelter. The ones that fell over were dead. I don’t remember who it was that explained it to me, it all happened 45+ years ago.


73 posted on 01/07/2017 9:40:15 AM PST by Ditter (God Bless Texas!)
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To: Verbosus
I just had another thought about this. Like the chickens being hypnotized by a string, maybe it was the same thing when they looked up and saw the big rain drops coming down on them. They were hypnotized and couldn't stop looking up.
74 posted on 01/07/2017 9:44:25 AM PST by Ditter (God Bless Texas!)
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To: Fai Mao
I’ve been trying to entice a few of them into my yard to eat the snails in my garden.

Try spraying the snails with melted butter and garlic, they taste better that way.

75 posted on 01/07/2017 9:44:54 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: Ditter

I’ve heard that before but found it unbelievable.

So you will pinky swear that these birds literally, truly drowned to death by looking up at the rain?

Seems like they would pass out, flop over, then start breathing through their mouth while unconscious, thus reviving themselves.

But they just keeled over and died?


76 posted on 01/07/2017 9:45:59 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: Ditter

Okay, that does seem like a plausible explanation. The chicken goes into a hypnotic state and freezes in place, allowing the rain water to run down into its lungs. It only takes a few teaspoons of water to drown a person so probably much less for a chicken. I think you might be on to something here.


77 posted on 01/07/2017 9:56:55 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: Yardstick
I agree it sounds un believable but I pinky swear it happened while I watched. Several of the chickens did not survive.

It has been a long time but I think I discussed it with the man at the feed store where I bought my chickens. He told me that it was known to happen but not sure if he had seen it himself, maybe.

78 posted on 01/07/2017 9:59:03 AM PST by Ditter (God Bless Texas!)
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To: Ditter

Okay, I believe you, and I think your idea about the hypnosis thing may explain it.

I wonder if anyone has made that connection before?


79 posted on 01/07/2017 10:04:12 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: Ditter

I meant to write “would *not* be surprised”.
I do believe they would drown like that.


80 posted on 01/07/2017 10:07:49 AM PST by Verbosus (/* No Comment */)
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