Animal facts

10 facts about chickens you may not know

Holly Spindler

Dec 19, 2023

Think chickens aren't intelligent? Here are 10 facts about chickens that may surprise you.

Bird brained, the butt of all jokes about road crossing, and sadly one of the most abused land animals in the world.

But you can also add underestimated to that list. Chickens are often not thought of, or treated, as intelligent or sentient. But we're about to bust that myth!

Here are 10 facts about chickens that may surprise you.

Domestic chickens originate from Asia, and are descendants of the wild Junglefowl.
Chickens can count up to 5 from birth.
Chickens understand that if something is hidden, it still exists - a concept beyond the capability of a two-year-old human, as anyone who has played peekaboo will know!
Chickens are maternal. Not only do mothers protect chicks under their feathers but tests have revealed that when a chick is in distress, their mother’s heart rate increases. This is all the more sad when you consider the chicks raised for meat hatch and grow without a mother to care for them.
Chickens love a bath and from a young age are naturally drawn to dust bathing to keep their feathers clean.
They have a way with the ladies - males use a special call to females when they have some tasty food to share but have also been shown to trick females by using the same call, even when they have no food!
Chickens form strong friendships, recognising over 100 individual faces both of other chickens as well as humans.
Chickens can see a broader range of colours than humans.
Chickens demonstrate self-control. Tests have shown that when chickens understand that they can get a bigger reward by waiting and not taking the smaller reward being offered, they usually choose to wait.
Chickens communicate with other chickens and have 24 distinct vocalisations, including different calls to warn against various types of predators. A recent study of over 200 people revealed that more than two-thirds of participants were able to correctly identify whether a chicken was pleased, displeased, or excited just by listening to their clucks.

Were you surprised by some of these facts? You’re not alone. A 2015 study in Australia asked students to spend some time training chickens. Before the study, the students had the common misconception that the birds were very simple. However, after the study the students said they were surprised and that the birds were much more intelligent and emotionally advanced than previously thought.