Chickens are no bird brains

They may look stupid but chickens have hidden intellectual depths, an animal behaviourist told the Science Festival. Professor Christine Nicol of the University of Bristol said chickens possess a remarkable ability to learn from one another which undermines their reputation as the bird brains of the animal kingdom. "Most animals learn by trial and error, but there is a short cut," she said. "If you can learn by watching somebody else's mistakes, that can make life easier for you. So one question we can ask is whether chickens can learn by watching other chickens." Experiments show that hens can learn how to peck for the best food by watching the behaviour of more experienced birds, trained for the task, said Professor Nicol. She added that chickens can navigate using the position of the sun as a compass. Steve Connor