Emory University researchers find chickens have distinct personalities

Chickens don't have a reputation for being the brightest group in the animal kingdom, but a new study has found we may have dramatically underestimated their brainpower. Researchers found that chickens have distinct personalities, numerical abilities and show self-awareness, among other traits. Dr Lori Marino, a lecturer in Neuroscience at Emory University and the author of the review, said: 'They (chickens) are perceived as lacking most of the psychological characteristics we recognize in other intelligent animals and are typically thought of as possessing a low level of intelligence compared with other animals.' According to Dr. Marino, 'chickens are behaviourally sophisticated, discriminating among individuals, exhibiting Machiavellian-like social interactions, and learning socially in complex ways that are similar to humans.' In a 2005 study, researchers found that domestic chickens are capable of self-control.