Yes, chickens can do math. Okay...just simple math, but math nonetheless. How do we know?
A study conducted in Italy found that chickens can add and subtract with numbers smaller than five. The study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences of the University of Trento and the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua. The researchers were: Rosa Rugani, Laura Fontanari, Eleonora Simoni, Lucia Regolin and Giorgio Vallortigara.
Here's how the survey worked.
Trin 1:Have a girl look at two screens.
How do you get a chicken to do this? They kept the chicken in a box so she couldn't walk, and they made a wall out of the glass of the box so she could see the two screens.
Trin 2:Place five objects behind the scenes.
They place 3 objects behind the right screen and 2 behind the left screen (3+2 = 5). The screens were opaque so the chick could see how they placed the objects behind the screen, but once behind the screen the objects were out of view.
They did not use cooking pots in their experiment. They used small yellow plastic round objects. Have you ever eaten a Kinder Surprise egg? You know that plastic capsule in the middle where you can build a toy car, airplane, or anything else with plastic parts? They used the yellow capsules. Very nice example of thisupcycling.
Trin 3:Move an object.
They then moved an object from behind the right screen to behind the left screen. Now there are 2 objects behind the right screen (3-1=2) and 3 objects behind the left screen (2+1=3). Note: we still have 5 objects in total (2+3=5). Recall that the chick could see the object moving across the room, but she still couldn't see the objects behind the scenes.
Trin 4:Release the chicken.
Release the chick from her observation position so she can look behind her chosen screen. Make a note of which screen she sees first.
This is what happened:
After repeating this experiment 20 times for 19 different chicks, they found that chicks were significantly more likely to choose the display that ultimately contained the largest number of objects. It didn't matter whether the researchers started with 3 on the right and 2 on the right. left or vice versa: the chicks continued to choose the screen with the largest number (3).
What if there was only one?addting?
It's unlikely. The researchers also tried the experiment again with a different number combination – starting with 4 objects behind one screen and 1 behind the other screen. In this case, they moved 1 object from the group of 4 to join the single object. In these experiments, chicks more often chose the screen with something in itwithdrawnin other words, they again chose the screen with the largest number of objects (3).
What if there was only one?surfaceting?
It's also unlikely. The researchers did a similar experiment with red squares from different areas. They placed a set of two red squares behind one screen. Behind the second screen they placed a set of three red squares. These squares were smaller. The total area of the set of three squares was equal to the total area of the set of two squares.
Despite the size difference, significantly more chicks again chose the display hiding the greater number of objects (3).
Do we have to worry?
Maybe not. The level of math skills these girls demonstrate is easily surpassed by simple calculators found on most phones. And there's a chance that a day will come when you're held against your will and your captor will release you if and only if you do the math. of the sum of 2+3, the use of a chicken is low (Oh, and that day you also forgot basic addition and your phone, and you have a live chicken with you).
Or maybe we shouldn't care. Perhaps understanding chicken brains will help us better understand the brain in general. Or maybe it means that chickens notice more than we might have thought. the number of times we go in to feed them or clean their garden.
