When Chickens Get Smart!

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The other day I went into one of the chicken runs to pick some of the grapes which were hanging from the canopy. While I was in there, I thought I may as well pick off any that weren't looking so good and let the chickens have them. Knowing that they have a tendency to get over eager and jump up to try and grab them, I was holding the bunch up near my head. My big, heavy australorp, Pancake, was looking up at me, calculating as usual. She isn't at the top of the pecking order, so she doesn't rush in for food, in order to avoid the wrath of the matriarch. She instead calculates while everyone else is diving in blindly, usually missing the actually treat, then casually steps in, takes it with a well directed peck, then ducks out and is off to enjoy it in peace while everyone else is distracted and wondering where it went.

That day I thought that was what she was doing. Watching the grapes being dropped for one that could safely be snatched from under the noses of the other hens. The next second she'd jumped 5 feet and snatched the bunch out of my hands before I knew what was happening and was at the other side of the run in a split second. She's so big and hefty, I wouldn't have believed she could jump that high, never mind in such a controlled way as to be perfectly on target.

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The dynamic of the chicken flock is often so much like you see in people, I quite often feel like I learn a lot from them about some of our more animalistic behaviour. Some of them aren't the brightest, but some of them are so cleverly calculating that even low down the hierarchical ladder, they thrive. Sometimes when I approach the run with something for them to eat, there might be only one out, but she'll inevitably emit an excited noise which alerts the whole flock to the fact that food could be coming and they all come charging out. However, you might get the occasional hen who is more calculating and approaches quietly, giving no hint that she's enjoying treats through the fence and getting them all to herself.

Recently I was cutting the grass in front of the run for the rabbits and Cutie, a hen who is particularly crazy for greens, crept over to me, quietly looking at me with her pleading eyes. So I gave her some of the shorter clippings as I continued harvesting and the rest of the flock were none the wiser for the whole time as I worked my way across the length of the run.


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A rooster’s job is to protect and care for his flock and a good rooster is not stupid. He will be on alert to danger and I've seen one of my boys set off a call when he spotted a large raptor circling. He didn't stop until most of his hens were safely under cover, then as the bird of prey came directly overhead he and the last two hens froze, before slowly and cautiously, step by step, making there way into the coop. The only thing he didn't realise was that the raptor was never going to attack, because it could see the wire which covers the run.

My big boy, Roast, will take treats from our hand and chunter for his hens, dropping the food for them or letting them take it from his beak. He knows that they need it more than him as they're laying and has a more urgent tone if it's something high protein. He will search for food for them and call them over whenever He thinks he's found something. He also knows when they don't need it in winter, because they're taking their laying break, and will guzzle down his favourite bits before they can take them from him.


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He's the bouncer when the hens start fighting and will either put his ample self between them or give the antagonizer a good telling off, unless its his flock queen, in which case she's always in the right. He knows better than to side against her!


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He doesn't often crow, but when he does he knows I'll come. Mostly when I get there he just runs away from me because he realised he's not supposed to crow and will either get punishment hugs in front of his girls or go back in his carrier in the shed for a bit. However, sometimes I get to the run and find that the water has been tipped over and is empty and I wonder if that's why he crowed, to alert me to the crisis.


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These intelligent creatures like company as much as we do and have taught me a lot in my time caring for them.


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This post was a lot of fun for me to read @minismallholding. Loved this description …

”My big, heavy australorp, Pancake, was looking up at me, calculating as usual. She isn't at the top of the pecking order, so she doesn't rush in for food, in order to avoid the wrath of the matriarch. She instead calculates while everyone else is diving in blindly, usually missing the actually treat, then casually steps in, takes it with a well directed peck, then ducks out and is off to enjoy it in peace while everyone else is distracted and wondering where it went.”

… as I could “see” Pancake, through your eyes, and it brought a smile. 😊 Then she jumped up 5 feet! Whoa … Gotta watch out for next time!

I enjoy your writing style. Your words bring to life what you are describing. In this case, it renewed an interest in having our own chickens, although in our current home, that is pretty much impossible, as I doubt our neighbors would tolerate it and we’d have our little town sending someone over to see us for “a chat” …

Your post does remind me of one of the many, many YouTube videos we’ve watched and they sort of all run together after some time passes. But … I am pretty sure there is a YouTuber in the Land Down Under with a small plot in a suburb there somewhere. What she showed us were some sort of pigeons (?) or doves (?) or similar, that were silent. They did not ever make any noise. But they still provided most all of the benefits of chickens! Maybe some day ...

Well, a long day here is coming to an end. Looking forward to future “visits!”

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Thank you for saying so. I do try to write that way, but I'm never sure if it comes across.

Quiet doves sounds like the way to go. We once boiled up some diamond dove eggs and the albumin was clear, not white. I wonder if that's the same for all pigeons and doves.

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Chickens are smart. Just monumentally dumb compared to other things XD

And good thing the australorp has you rather than me for an owner, chickens jumping at me (or pretty much anything moving fast towards my head) get swatted XD I have watched them communicating and ducking for cover when there have been crows flitting about and they were free ranging, and remember going out to investigate the noise once because there was a serious alarm sounding in the backyard and I walked out to find this beautiful falcon perched on the clothes hoist XD

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Some of them are just monumentally dumb, full stop! Lol

Pancake was just so quick, I didn't see her coming to even have a chance at swatting her!

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That's pretty cool that the rooster saves the food for the hens. Classy. Give him a pat from me. What are punishment hugs? I haven't found chickens to be smart enough for punishment, personally.

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He actually likes hugs, just not in front of his ladies. Must be too emasculating for him. 😆

Not all chicken breeds and not all chickens are smart. The flock queen is dumb as they come. Yet I've trained the rooster not to crow in the day, so he rarely crows once he's out for the day and knows very well he's in trouble when he does. The rooster is Cutie's grandfather, so I suspect she got her intelligence from him. It certainly wasn't from her grandmother!

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aweeeee. ! i had no idea roosters were such dedicated and protective partners.. nice to know! i never had chickens, but i met a few people who also had them.. They had hug hour every day when the kids would go cuddle them..

so cute! and, of course. much smarter than most people realise!
thanks for sharing <3 xxx

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Sadly, I think a lot of what we class as livestock animals have that misconception about them. You don't realise until you decide to keep them in close interaction with them.

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