Chickens
Jen and I have chickens at our farm and they have a distinct personality unlike our other birds (ducks and guniea foul).
I ran into
this study today -- interesting and well done!
Chickens worry about the future
Chickens don't just live in the present, but can anticipate the future and demonstrate self-control, something previously attributed only to humans and other primates, according to a recent study.
The finding, published in the current issue of the journal Animal Behaviour, suggests that domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) are intelligent creatures that might worry.
"An animal with no awareness of 'later' may not be able to predict the end of an unpleasant experience, such as pain, rendering [the pain] all-encompassing," says lead author Dr Siobhan Abeyesinghe.
"On the other hand, an animal that can anticipate an event might benefit from cues to aid prediction, but may also be capable of expectations rendering it vulnerable to thwarting, frustration and pre-emptive anxiety.
"The types of mental ability the animal possesses therefore dictate how they should best be managed and what we might be able to do to minimise psychological stress."
And the test in question -- a very clever one actually if you think about it:
Abeyesinghe, a member of the Biophysics Group at the UK's Silsoe Research Institute, and her colleagues tested hens with coloured buttons.
When the birds pecked on one of the buttons, they received a food reward.
If the chicken waited 2 to 3 seconds, it received a small amount of food. If the bird held out for 22 seconds, it received a "jackpot" that paid out with much more to eat.
"In their natural environment it may pay to get food while you can, before someone else does," says Abeyesinghe.
"But counter to this, we found that when a much larger food reward was delivered for the jackpot condition, hens chose it over 90% of the time, ruling out that they have absolutely no awareness of the near future."
Our dinosaur ancestors live on as fun critters (with the occasional visit to Freezer Camp, Mr. Oven and the Dinner Plate).
Posted by DaveH at July 15, 2005 10:22 PM