Despite What You Might Think, Chickens Are Not Stupid

“If it does turn out that chickens can show empathy when other birds are in distress, that could raise serious questions about the way farmed chickens are reared.

“There are numerous situations where all farm animals are exposed to the sights, sounds and smells of other individuals showing signs of pain and distress,” says Edgar. “It is important to determine whether their welfare might be reduced at these times.”

Marino also thinks it may be time to discuss these questions. “The perception of chickens [as unaware and unintelligent] is driven in part by the motivation to dismiss their intelligence and sensibilities because people eat them,” she says.

The uncomfortable truth about chickens is that they are far more cognitively advanced than many people might appreciate. But it remains to be seen whether consumers who are armed with this knowledge change their shopping habits at the meat counter.”



Chickens have a reputation for being profoundly dumb, but in fact they are remarkably intelligent and may even be empathic

Source: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170110-despite-what-you-mig..

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