May 10/2017

Feature:
6 Surprising Chicken Facts
“...There was a time when chickens were viewed as exotic, fascinating birds...they were revered for their ferocity & intelligence...

Chickens have been a part of human lives for millennia, & yet they are one of the most misunderstood, if not ignored, species on Earth...

Chickens deserve more attention, & here are some quirky, interesting facts to get you thinking about chickens less as food & more as fascinating co-inhabitants of our world. These come via...'Thinking Chickens’, published online in Animal Cognition...

1. Chickens are a sub-species of the red jungle fowl that hails from southeast Asia.
The red jungle fowl (galls gallus) inhabit the edges of fields, scrubland, & groves. Domestication was well established 8,000 years ago, but some records suggest it could have started as much as 58,000 years ago.

2. Domestic chickens are similar to their wild counterparts.
Despite the intense breeding & genetic manipulation of recent years, chickens have not been cognitively or behaviorally affected by domestication...

3. A chicken’s beak is highly sensitive to touch.
The beak, with numerous nerve endings, is used to explore, detect, drink, preen, & defend...

4. Chickens have finely tuned senses.
They can see long distance & close-up at the same time in different parts of their vision. They can see a broader range of colors than humans. They can hear at low & high frequencies at a variety of pressure levels. They possess well-developed senses of taste & smell. They can orient to magnetic fields, like many other birds.

5. Chickens are surprisingly good at math.
3-day-old chicks are able to perform basic arithmetic & discriminate quantities...

6. Chickens can exercise self-control.
In an experimental setting, chickens have been given the choice between 2-second delay with 6 seconds of access to food, versus a 6-second delay with 22-seconds of access to food. The hens waited for the longer reward, ‘demonstrating rational discrimination between different future outcomes while employing self-control to optimize those outcomes’...”

Katherine Martinko (TreeHugger)
January 23/2017
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle