"Chickens exhibit Machiavellian tendencies" Topic

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Who would NOT want to click on such a link?
I know that I had to.

"Unlike many other birds, chickens are categorized as a commodity, devoid of authenticity as a real animal," said Dr Loro Marino, a senior scientist for The Someone Project, a joint venture of Farm Sanctuary and the Kimmela Center in the USA."

This couldn't possibly be agenda driven, could it?

This has been known for a while, in some quarters…

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It takes a scientist to figure that out? What passes for science nowadays? Farm chickens are pretty smart. Broilers on the other hand are dumb as bricks. Like domestic turkeys.

One day, you're cock of the walk, the next day a feather duster…

Ron

P.S. "Chicken Machiavelli" needs to be a game somehow… Just sayin'

So they can do numbers?

I wonder what the 15 chickens that my dad brought home when I was a teenager were thinking when I reached into the crate and put chicken after chicken on the chopping block?

Though their massive intelligence could explain why they could run around with their head on the block.

Though their massive intelligence…….

It was never stated that they had massive intelligence. It simply showed that their social interactions and communications skills were greater than previously estimated.

They evolved from therapods, an intelligent hunting class of dinosaur. So they should be somewhat smart. Too bad that they taste so good.

Chickens are vicious. They watch you. Any farmer could tell you everything in the article.

Bowman, if they are evolved from a hunting class of dinosaur, they've lost the ability to hunt. All they do is peck. They peck each other. The bottom one is pecked to death. That is more like a human tendency.

Chickens are super

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So chickens form some form of pecking order just like humans? Hmmm! I deduce we have lots in common.

Bowman, if they are evolved from a hunting class of dinosaur, they've lost the ability to hunt. All they do is peck.

I'm a city boy so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Chickens "only" peck because that is the nature of the food that we give to the domesticated versions. I've seen wild chickens and turkeys in rural Mexico and they hunt.

Most birds will peck to death any individual who is different or defective. That is the allegory in Jerzy Kozinsky's book "The Painted Bird".

That is more like a human tendency.

You've got that backwards. Humans (and chickens, evidently) just exhibit societal behavior. You can probably find the same in other species.

On a visit to my grandparents farm as a kid, I came across a tiny pair of red-tinted glasses,which I was informed were "chicken sunglasses". My skepticism was answered with "they keep them from pecking the other chickens. I still felt my leg was being pulled, but didn't pursue it any further. Seems they were telling the truth:
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I raised chickens for eggs as a kid. Believe me, they all have different personalities and agendas. Some can be super sneaky.

The arrogant ones and the disobedient were delicious! :)

Dan

Chickens have agendas?

Uh oh.

What is an "obedient" chicken like,BTW? All mine were the other kind.

This couldn't possibly be agenda driven, could it?

Believe me, they all have different personalities and agendas.

Chickens have agendas?

Maybe we have uncovered another global conspiracy, here on TMP.

There are mongoose in Puerto Rico and so I had my chickens roaming free during most of the day and cooped up at night. I rang a bell and they would come back into the coop quickly. I even had names for them when I first started.

But if there was a stubborn one in the group, the whole lot would ignore my call and things would drag on forever.

Well, we ate the stubborn ones and problem solved. Imagine that! :)

Dan

Yup, that has solved a lot of problems with chickens who have caused issues.

The question is do you Roast, Baked, Fry or make Chicken Soup out of them.