A B.C. hen set a record as the world's smartest chicken recently.
Lacey the Gabriola Island hen has just become a Guinness World Records title holder for the most identifications by a chicken in one minute.
This means that when different numbers, colours and letters are presented, the bird can recognize the shapes it is trained to recognize, and ignore the ones it isn’t.
Her owner, Emily Carrington purchased several 16-week-old hyline chickens last spring to serve as egg producers.
At first, Carrington used fridge magnets, teaching her hens that if they pecked the specific magnet they would get a treat, usually in the form of grain. Initially, the hens were confused at being offered alphabetized shapes, staring cluelessly, but over time they figured out if those specific shapes were pecked, it yielded rewards.
After the hens memorized one shape, which usually took a day or two, Carrington would add a different one. All the hens competed, but Lacey identified the most within the minute, reaching a total of six identifications.
I had no idea chickens were that smart. I am learning that they are creatures of habit and when I am shooing them off my front porch, I often call them stupid.
But maybe they aren’t. Maybe I can teach them to stay out of my garden and off my steps.
We got a few chickens last year for their egg production but they have quickly become pets. My daughters have them all named and when a fox took two of them last week, it was awful. Our house went into mourning.
Our flock loves to free range during the day and they put themselves to bed at night and then I lock up the coop. But since we’ve had a fox visit, we’ve had to keep them locked up in a run all day. They aren’t happy about it. Their egg production is down significantly.
I am hoping the fox moves along and we can let them out again. As much as I hate their poop on my porch, I enjoy seeing them in the yard.
They come and greet me and follow me around. My kids are learning to take care of them and, of course, the fresh eggs are nice.
Overall, having backyard chickens has been a blast and now I am inspired to teach them a few tricks. (Starting with where to poop.)
-with files from Jessica Durling
