Super Chickens

With chicken keeping enjoying its biggest revival since the Second World War and a boom in a new breed of middle-class urban chicken-keepers who want the birds for their egg-laying capabilities or as pets for their children, chickens are at last receiving the respect they so rightly deserve.

The practice of keeping battery hens is meeting with increasing disapproval from the new breed of suburban owners who are looking more closely at their birds, quick to spot signs of character.
This is paying dividends, as beneath their docile feathered façade, there’s a sharp intelligence just waiting to come out.
Recent studies have shown that chickens are bright animals, able to solve complex problems, demonstrate self-control, and worry about the future.

Dr John Webster of Bristol University found that chickens are capable of understanding cause and effect and that when chickens learn something new, they pass on that knowledge (i.e., they have what scientists call “culture”)."
Dog trainer and behaviourist for the Company of Animals, Fiona Whelan, was inspired to try clicker training on her own chickens after hearing about its success in America where regular ‘chicken camps’ are organised by behaviourist, Bob Bailey who passes on his poultry expertise to interested visitors. Fiona then implemented a clicker training programme for her own hens with some surprising results.


Fiona has three hens, two ex-battery girls called Prudence and Bunty and a black rock lady named Byonce.  All three are clicker trained and will play musical instruments and are dab claws at cards – playing snap with amazing aplomb.
Fiona commented on her reasons for implementing the clicker training regime: “I did it purely for the experience and discovered a whole new world. Let me assure the world at large who are impressed by the intelligence of border collie dogs that hens are much quicker at picking up clicker training. Dogs are slow by comparison.
“Hens see colour and shape really well but you have to be fast and accurate when you train them.  They pick things up really quickly.”

Fiona is delighted by the feats her hens have achieved: “There are some really positive outcomes. Firstly, hens are not always happy about too much physical contact so clicker training can facilitate easy returns to the chicken coop at certain times. It can also mean simplifying tasks like putting them into a carrier to go to the vet. The hens can literally be taught to put themselves into the box with just one click.
“Possibly the best result of all is that hens are at last achieving some recognition for having personalities and intelligence. These acts demonstrate how characterful and colourful they are. Which I hope will place more value on them as pets and less as the dull, mindless instruments of the awful battery farming process.”

Fiona uses mealworms as a tasty incentive to reward her hens in their clicker training successes. She reinforces that an instant reward is vital in the training process and recommends using an assistant to clear up any debris otherwise the hens will simply self-reward from the rich pickings landing on the floor:


“I half fill a small scoop with meal worms and then tape my clicker to the handle of the scoop so I can literally click and reward simultaneously any behaviour I wish them to emulate. You click as the food appears in front of the hen and then move the scoop out of sight and clear away any mess and then repeat the process.
“Simple targeting with shaped or coloured targets is a good way to start and then its click, food, click, food.  Once they have defined the target, bring in a second target and then reward the hen when they peck the correct one and so on.”

Fiona’s colleague, Chirag Patel, head of behaviour at Company of Animals Ruxbury Farm headquarters, has gone one step further and clicker trained two of the farm’s hens to skateboard – one to stand on the board and the other to pull it.
Fiona explains the process: “It took us about three sessions of around five to 10 minutes in length to teach the hens the skateboarding exercise. Obviously, one hen was taught to pull on a shoe string and the other took to the board. Then it was a matter of getting both to engage in the entire process.
“This type of exercise is great fun for children to get involved in and does demonstrate the hidden intelligence and abilities of these often maligned birds.”

Company of Animals has a Clicker Training for Dummies kit available which, although aimed at dog owners, is applicable to chickens too. For more information contact Liz McGuinness at the Company of Animals on 01932 566696 or visit www.companyofanimals.co.uk