How does the chicken work? What features of chicken anatomy would be useful for everyone to learn? Let's look inside the most popular bird and take a fun anatomical tour together!

Skeleton structure

At least a rough understanding of how the chicken’s skeleton works will help the poultry breeder conduct mandatory scheduled examinations of his livestock and diagnose various ailments in time. The chicken skeleton has this feature: many bird bones are hollow inside. This is because the chicken can fly, although it rarely does. The total weight of bones of domesticated birds rarely exceeds 10% of body weight. The second feature is that the chicken does not have teeth; instead, it has a dense horn process - the beak.

The chicken skeleton is conditionally divided into the head section, trunk and limbs. The head of a feathered resident is very small, sometimes it looks very caricature on a voluminous body. The cervical spine consists of 13-14 vertebrae, the thoracic of 7, the caudal region includes 5-6 mobile vertebrae. The thoracic region also has such a specific component as the keel. Feathered forelimbs are better known to us as wings.

The chicken wing consists of a coracoid bone, scapula, clavicle and the so-called free wing (in its "composition" the radius, ulna and humerus). The hind limbs of a chicken are clawed legs, in roosters equipped with dangerous spurs. The paws of poultry are attached to the pelvic girdle and consist of the lower leg, tibia and fibula, thigh and foregrip. Most often, the chicken has 4 fingers, but there are breeds for which the standard provides for a different number of fingers.

For a layer, the presence of a medullary bone, which roosters do not have, is also characteristic. This component of the skeleton is involved in the formation of the eggshell.

Internal organs

The anatomy of the internal organs of poultry is also somewhat different from the structure of the internal organs of the more familiar mammals. More about them later.

Digestive system

It begins with a beak, has such an interesting intermediate link as a goiter, and ends with a cesspool. The beak is intended solely for swallowing food; the nature of the birds did not endow the teeth with teeth, since they would significantly weight the bird's head. Precisely because the primary fermentation of feed does not occur in the oral cavity of chickens, they need goiter. There is an accumulation of food, which gradually moves towards the muscular organ - the stomach, which has glandular and muscular sections.

The movement of food is carried out through the esophagus, it is a long muscle tube, the main function of which is transportation, because no enzymes and juices are secreted there. Fermentation begins directly in the glandular stomach, it is there that strong acid and enzymes necessary for digestion are liberated. In addition, pebbles and sand can often be found in the poultry stomach. Birds deliberately swallow such foreign objects. They become part of the digestive system of the bird and help it grind roughage.

Digestive system: 1 - the oral cavity, 2 - the esophagus, 3 - goiter, 4 - the glandular stomach, 5 - the muscular section of the stomach, 6 - the duodenum, 7 - the pancreas, 8 - the gall bladder, 9 - the liver, 10 - the intestine thin, 11 - ileum, 12 - blind processes, 13 - rectum, 14 - cesspool.

Next, the food moves into the duodenum and small intestine. There, they will “take” useful substances and vitamins from it. Undigested food will form in the feces in the large intestine, which ends in cesspool. I must say that this is the only "way out" of the chicken body. The whole digestion process in birds is very fast, the coarse grains are digested the longest.

Respiratory system

The unusual structure of the respiratory system is due to the fact that the birds need a very large amount of oxygen during the flight. And, although the birds on our farmstead have practically lost interest in the sky, the structure of their respiratory system is atypical. The start of the respiratory system are the nostrils, then the air follows into the nasal cavity and larynx, then the trachea, which divides the air into two bronchi.

At the branching site of the trachea is the so-called lower larynx, which serves as an organ of sound formation. The bronchi extend beyond the lungs and communicate with multiple air sacs located in the body of the bird. Only birds now have air sacs, presumably they were in dinosaurs, so birds are often credited with kinship with extinct reptiles. Most of the air inhaled by the bird “settles” precisely in the air sacs, approximately 75%.

The lungs of hens practically do not change their volume, they are not able to stretch as much as the lungs of mammals do. Moreover, the respiratory system of birds is not equipped with any valves; all air movements in it are subject to the laws of thermodynamics. In addition, air bags are used for thermoregulation and gas exchange.

Circulatory system

The circulatory system of domestic birds is represented by a four-chamber heart, a small and large circle of blood circulation. Moreover, both circles of blood circulation are disconnected and venous blood with arterial never mixes. Venous blood, collecting in the right atrium, passes into the right ventricle. Then, moving along the pulmonary artery, it enters the lung and, saturated with oxygen, returns to the left atrium. It looks like a small circle of blood circulation.

A large circle of blood circulation begins with the left ventricle, from where blood from the aorta will enter all the organs and systems of the bird through many small blood vessels. I must say that the heart of the chicken is quite large compared to the size of the bird and looks asymmetrical. Its left part has a larger volume and performs more “work”. In addition, all birds have high blood pressure and a rapid pulse.

This is due to the high temperature of the body of the bird and its rapid metabolism, which requires that the blood circulate through the vessels with a solid speed. And then on the video you can enjoy walking birds.

Highlight system

The chicken excretory system is represented by paired kidneys, which, through the ureters, communicate with the cloaca.

An important feature of the anatomy: chickens do not have a bladder, and the absorption of water from urine occurs directly in the cesspool.

Due to the absence of the bladder, the appearance in chicken urine is atypical. It is thick and porridge-like and is not always distinguishable from feces. Moreover, the number of bowel movements in chicken is much greater than in mammals. This ensures the lightness of the body required by the birds in flight.

Reproductive system

Chickens also breed differently than we, our feathered friends, are egg-laying. In males, the reproductive organs are the testes located next to the kidneys. The testes increase greatly in volume during the breeding of birds. From the testis depart the seed conduits, which end in the seminal vesicle - the receptacle of sperm. Chickens do not have an external genital organ; fertilization is carried out by contact of the cloaca of a rooster and chicken.

In the female, only one ovary is adequately developed - the left. It is also located near the kidney. The left oviduct departs from it, which opens with an expanded funnel into a convoluted thick-walled tube communicating with the cesspool. The oviduct is divided into several sections: the upper is called the fallopian tube, followed by a wide section, called the uterus. From the moment the egg enters the oviduct and before the chicken lays the finished egg, it takes from 12 to 48 hours.

Nervous system

The nervous system of chickens is represented by the brain and spinal cord, as well as nerve processes and fibers, through which nerve impulses are transmitted through the body of the bird. The brain consists of the anterior, intermediate and midbrain and cerebellum. The hemispheres of the brain are small and there are no convolutions on them. Perhaps that is why they often talk about “chicken brains” as something insignificant.

The hemispheres of the brain are oriented in space and realize the instincts of the chicken. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating movements.

Chicken Opening Video

Pathological dissection of chicken will complete our review!

The expression "Chicken brains" always had a negative connotation.

  "CHICKEN BRAINS
  what at whom, whose, with whose, whose
  Limited, narrow-minded, weak mind.
This means that a person or group of persons (X) has little mental ability or a low intellectual level. It is spoken with irony or with neglect, inform. ”

  "Phraseologism" Chicken brains "meaning

About a stupid person incapable of serious thinking.
  “Every man must bear his cross in this damn life ... Women, Mr. Gymnasium student, they will not understand us. They have chicken brains ”(K. Paustovsky).”

  “So they say, implying a small chicken head in which there are few brains, and also sometimes incomprehensible chicken behavior, because sometimes it seems that chicken is one of the most stupid animals in the world. The expression applies to people who do not understand anything, say stupid things, do stupid things, behave illogically. ”

However, the situation is currently changing. Scientists have discovered in birds cognitive thinking with a special structure of the brain and its constituent elements, neurons, which equates the minds of birds with average primates.

  "The expression" chicken brains "can now be considered a compliment

British scientists have proven that chickens are by no means stupid creatures. So, chickens think faster than humans, researchers found
  RIA News.
  “Chickens don't have chicken brains,” writes The Times of India, talking about the next discovery of British scientists.
  After the observations, the researchers found that future chickens and roosters have a number of complex skills, including self-control and the ability to count.
  The experiment proved that within a few hours after birth, the chicks can count to five.
  As a rule, children under the age of four cannot boast of such abilities.
  Christina Nichol, a professor at the University of Bristol, who has devoted 20 years to researching this topic, is convinced that the conventional wisdom about the stupidity of chickens is fundamentally wrong. She believes that birds have "a lot of hidden talent."
  The experiments also showed that the chicks understand that an object that disappears from the field of view still exists. By the way, children under one year of age cannot realize this. Another testimony in favor of chicken intelligence was a test that demonstrated that chickens at the age of two weeks can navigate the terrain according to the position of the Sun.
  “Chickens may not make outstanding mathematical discoveries and contribute to the development of literature, but they can learn skills and develop abilities much faster than a human child who can take months and years to do this,” said Nikol.
However, the mathematical abilities of these birds do not end there. In particular, they are born with an understanding of physics, the basics of the design of structures and buildings. This is evidenced by experiments in which they showed great interest in the schemes of objects that can really be built, rather than those that contradict the laws of physics. ”

  "Chicken Brain" is no longer a curse word

The macaw parrot's brain is the size of an unpeeled walnut, while the macaque's brain is the size of a lemon. However, in an ara, the forebrain - the part of the brain associated with intellectual behavior - contains more neurons than the macaque's forebrain.
  This fact is one of the amazing results of the first systematic study, in which scientists counted the number of neurons in the brain of more than two dozen species of birds (from a tiny zebra amadina to an almost two-meter emu) and found that their brain contains more neurons than a brain of the same mass mammals. The results of the study were published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on June 13.
  “For a long time, having“ bird brains ”was a bad thing, but now it’s becoming clear that it can be a compliment,” said study co-author Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University.
  The study provides a direct answer to the mystery that specialists in comparative neuroanatomy have been struggling for over a decade: how can birds with such a small brain show complex cognitive behavior?
  This scientific puzzle appeared after a series of studies from previous years, in which the cognitive abilities of parrots and ravens were compared with similar abilities of primates. It was shown that birds can make tools and use them, use insight to solve problems, draw conclusions about cause and effect relationships, recognize themselves in the mirror and plan future needs. That is, birds have a number of abilities that were previously exclusively attributed to primates.
  Previously, scientists explained this with the help of a certain “reserve” hypothesis: the brains of birds can have a completely different internal connectivity compared to the brains of primates. However, two years ago, this hypothesis was rejected after a detailed study of the structure of the brain of a dove, which showed that it was organized in a similar way to the brain of primates.
A new study provided a more plausible explanation: birds can exhibit different complex behaviors because their forebrain contains much more neurons than anyone imagined - as much as a medium-sized primate.
  “We found that birds, especially songbirds and parrots, have a surprisingly large number of neurons in the cloak of the final brain, the part of the brain corresponding to the cerebral cortex that supports higher cognitive functions, such as planning for the future or discovering patterns. This explains why birds exhibit cognitive behavior as complex as that of primates, ”says Erkulano-Husel.
  This situation became possible because the neurons in the brain of birds are smaller than in mammals and more densely packed. The parrot’s brain, for example, contains twice as many neurons as the brain of primates of the same mass and almost four times as many as the rodent’s equivalent brain.
  “In nature’s brain design issues, there are only two parameters that can be controlled: the size and number of neurons and the distribution of neurons across different brain centers. And in the brains of birds, nature twisted both of them, ”explains the author of the study.
  At the same time, Herculan-Husel and her colleagues note that the relationship between intelligence and the number of neurons has not yet been firmly established and that the important result of the study is that it demonstrates the existence of more than one way to build a large brain.
  Source: https://vk.com/xx2vek »

The situation becomes even more interesting when it is discovered that the word "brain" in the ancient Egyptian language is designated by the determinative "egg", and the word itself in the Slavic reading of Egyptian graphemes has a double meaning:
  1. chicken egg
  2. wise face

Hand-owl-owl-egg - amm-brain (other Egyptian)\u003e Drtmm / Krmm Jjk\u003e mudrj lik / kurinj jajco - wise face (fame) (inv. Drtm, ce. D / r, replacement l / j, i / j) / chicken egg (fame) (n / m replacement)\u003e
  ovo - egg (lat.)\u003e oval - oval (glor.), otherwise, a distorted circle shape\u003e brain - brain (eng.)\u003e mudr - wise (glor.) (inv. brain, replacement m / n, d / b , stop b / r)

Interestingly, the human head resembles an egg (oval). So, on the Internet, an anonymous image is drawn with an oval of a head without a face.
  The expression “Chickens in the autumn is considered” in the English interpretation with a translation into Russian also looks very funny.
“It's much worse when the English“ Don ”t count your chickens before they“ ve hatched ”translates as“ Chickens in the fall. ”It is, of course, both there and there we are talking about chickens. But the Russian proverb means“ wait and see - we will see ”(how it ends), and the English: do not think that everything will necessarily turn out in the best way for you - options are possible.”
  Moreover, the author, obsessed with English, does not understand that
  hatched - hatched, hatched (English), differently, "pestle" - motley chicken

Hatch - shrih / stroka - stroke / line (fame) (inversion of hatch, skipping r, reduction sh / ch)

Perhaps hatched\u003e kochet - kochet (fame) (reduction k / h, t / d), otherwise, a cock.
  So in the sense of both “pestraha” and “kochet” coincide with the Russian proverb.

Given the fact that the newly hatched chickens show the ability to count, for example, according to scientists, they count to 5, interpretation of the expression with the play on the word “autumn” in the English version is also possible.
  “Chickens in autumn consider” - chickens in autumn consider &
  “Chickens automatically count” - chickens automatically count

Egg as a symbol of creation

In many legends among different people, the egg is a symbol of the creation of the world.
  A detailed description of these historical myths is given in the article “Creation of the World” by Irina Anastasiadi.
  “But at the same time, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe supreme Unity also comes through in Orphism. This is a deified element, the universal womb. In some texts it is called Chronos, Time. As we already said in the article “Orpheus Carrying the Light of Knowledge”, that Chronos gave birth to the light Ether of the sky and bubbling Chaos. From them a cosmic egg was born, which contained all the embryos of the Universe: gods, titans and people. This image is also characteristic of most ancient teachings. The Rig Veda and Upanishad, the Book of the Dead and Chinese myths speak of the cosmic egg. All of them affirm one thing: the world is not Created, but is born like a bird coming out of an egg. ”
  But why is an egg a symbol of creation?
  Despite numerous information, which indicates a very fruitful work and deep knowledge of world mythology, the author has no answer to this question. However, the answer is in ancient Egyptian writing.
  The ancient Egyptian “egg” determinative means the word “brain”, which in the Slavic (and not Coptic) interpretation of Egyptian graphemes means: 1. chicken egg, 2. wise face, image.
An egg is first of all an image of the world mind, thoughts, and, secondly, a symbol of fertilization. “In the beginning was the Word ...” See my article “Etymology of the phrase“ In the beginning was the Word ”” in the section “Alternative Egyptology”.

Abbreviations

SPI - A Word About Igor's Regiment
  PVL - The Tale of Bygone Years
  SD - dictionary of V.I. Dahl
  SF - Fasmer's Dictionary
  SIS - dictionary of foreign words
  TSE - Efremov's Explanatory Dictionary
  TSOSH - explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov, Shvedov
  СРС - dictionary of Russian synonyms
  BTSU - Ushakov’s Big Dictionary
  SSIS - a compilation dictionary of foreign words
  MAK - Small Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language
  VP - Wikipedia
  EBE - Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

1. The expression "Chicken brains", https://phrase_dictionary.academic.ru/1177/
  2. Phraseologism "Chicken brains", http://frazbook.ru/2014/08/18/kurinye-mozgi/
  3. The expression “Chicken brains”, 4. The expression “chicken brains” can now be considered a compliment, 5. “Chicken brains” is no longer a curse word, 6. Translation of proverbs from Russian into English and vice versa, https: // ru-learnenglish. livejournal.com/1637915.html
  7. Irina Anastasiadi "The Origin of Life on Earth",
  8. V.N. Timofeev "Ancient Egyptian-Pre-Slavic Dictionary", http://www.tezan.ru/slov_egyp.htm
  9. V. N. Timofeev “Methodology for the search for Slavic roots in foreign words”, http://www.tezan.ru/metod.htm

Brain like a chicken. Almost every person who at least once heard this statement, voluntarily or involuntarily wondered: does the chicken have brains?

Having “rummaged” as it should in this matter, scientists found out quite interesting facts that could change a person’s attitude to such a seemingly stupid creature.

The role of the chicken brain

The chicken’s brain along with the spinal, nerve processes and fibers represents the nervous system of the winged individual. It consists of the cerebellum, the anterior, middle and diencephalon. The hemispheres are responsible for the orientation of the bird in space and the realization of its instincts. The cerebellum controls the coordination of movements.

There are no gyrus in the small hemispheres of the brain, which is the reason to think that in chickens brains are something insignificant and insignificant. It took scientists more than a century to figure out what was going on in the head of the chickens, in order to reach stunning conclusions.

Chicken Brain: Signal System

The chicken repertoire has about 24 complex signals, each of which is used in accordance with the situation. In support of their guesses, in the 1990s, scientists conducted the following experiment: installed audio recording devices and high-resolution television screens around cells with home birds to identify the meaning of the sounds of chicken speech. Thus, a virtual reality was created for the birds, in which the latter had to contact various individuals: a running fox, a flying hawk, a rooster relative.

During the experiment, it was found that it is not necessary for the chicken to show a predator to obtain a specific reaction. It is enough for her to hear the warning signal of another bird so that the chicken’s brain draws an image of the corresponding object, prompting to perform a certain action (for example, to run to the feeder or to escape from a predator).

Election tactics

In an attempt to find the answer to the question “do chickens have brains”, the researchers found that domesticated birds send signals depending on who is next to them. For example, a rooster will raise an alarm in case of a threat if there are females nearby, while with a congener-competitor it will remain silent. Female chickens also behave selectively: the alarm will be raised if there is a nearby brood of young animals.

Consequently, the sounds emitted by chickens do not contain the primitive “I'm hungry” or “I'm scared”; the bird delves into the meaning of current events, responds to them not reflexively, but with the help of clearly thought out actions. The presence of a system of conscious signals in chicken communication indicates the complexity and development of their thought process.

One interesting question can be asked from here: if the chicken’s brain is able to share information about current events, can a bird use such information in a distorted form, for its own benefit?

Pecking order

Chickens have a certain hierarchical system called the “pecking order”. The bird defends the dominant position in its community, rewarding with blows to the beak of relatives of a lower rank, which are decided on actions that do not correspond to their status.

In each group of curies there is an alpha male, constantly confirming his supremacy in every possible way. It is he who arranges the main dance if he finds a tidbit, and warns the rest when danger is approaching. But what about the rest of the males? After all, they cannot assume the same functions, so as not to incur the wrath of the leader cock. But after all, chicken brains are not just given to domestic birds!

The trick of the chickens

A series of sophisticated experiments revealed that such a quality as cunning is present in the chicken environment. For example: to attract a lady, an alpha male arranges a show dance with complex elements and makes certain inviting sounds. Roosters with a lower hierarchical position use hidden tactics: only the motor part is performed in the dance, and it is completely silent, which does not give rise to aggressive attacks from the alpha male.

It is known that chickens love to hide among thickets and tall grass, which is especially true in the case of an approaching threat. It was noticed that the males trumpet about the danger while in the bushes, while their rival calmly walks around the open square in front of the approaching predator. Thus, the cunning cock immediately reaches two goals: it protects its female and gets rid of the opponent. This type of behavior in science is called “risk compensation” and is also characteristic of a person who assumes more responsibility in the presence of “mitigating” circumstances. For example, a driver wearing a seat belt harnesses the gas pedal harder.

Empathy

Hens can empathize. This fact was proved by one experiment in which the brood hens and their brood participated. Young animals received safe and painless blows with an air stream that only ruffled their plumage, and perceived this action as a threat. There were all the signs of stress: a drop in temperature, a rapid heartbeat.

Mothers, observing the reaction of the chickens, began to experience the same stress, expressing it with anxiety and clucking, although they themselves did not feel the tremors of air and saw that nothing threatened the chicks. Therefore, it can be assumed that hens are able to put themselves in the place of relatives. Such a specific feature of behavior - empathy, was previously attributed to a certain number of species, which include crows and squirrels (and, naturally, humans).

Chickens are able to think

Probably, rationality is inherent in the animal world to a somewhat greater degree than previously thought. Hens could inherit their cognitive gift from a wild relative - a banker jungle chicken, an inhabitant of South Asian forests. In conditions of high competition within the flock and many external threats, the bird's mind was forced to develop in devising various rescue strategies and instant response to the situation. All these traits were inherited by domesticated chickens.

Scientists are only at the beginning of the path to understanding the true essence of the type of mind inherent in chickens. But one fact is already beyond doubt: common sayings such as “chicken brains”, “stupid like a chicken” now lose all meaning.

No one is surprised that some animals are smarter than others. In particular, among birds there are also very quick-witted creatures that exhibit intellectual abilities peculiar, as previously thought, only to man. For example, magpies recognize their reflection in a mirror, and New Caledonian crows create tools, and young birds learn these skills from their parents. African parrots can keep track of objects and classify them by color and shape: they can even be taught to understand human speech. A gray crested cockatoo named Snowball is happy to dance to rhythmic music. However, hardly anyone considers an ordinary domestic chicken an intelligent bird.

Nevertheless, in recent years, scientists have found that chickens are cunning creatures that can only pretend to be stupid, and that in the field of communication they have abilities at the level of some primates, using a complex signal system to transmit their intentions. In the decision-making process, chickens rely on their own experience and on their knowledge of the environment. They are able to solve rather complex problems and even empathize with relatives who are in danger. A new understanding of the cognitive abilities of chickens suggests that some complex intellectual qualities traditionally attributed only to primates may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought.

The studies under discussion also raise the question of how ethical our attitude is to domestic chickens raised in poultry farms. Indeed, the realization that chicken has highly developed cognitive skills makes one think how morally justified their maintenance on farms is in conditions aimed solely at making chicken meat and eggs as cheap as possible.

Chatty birds

It took almost 100 years of research to figure out what exactly is happening in the brains of chickens. The first shifts were outlined in the 1920s. last century, when the Norwegian biologist Thorleif Skelderup-Ebbe (Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe) revealed the presence of a hierarchical social system in these birds, which he called the "nibble order". He made such a conclusion after he discovered that chickens defend their leading position in the hierarchy by distributing blows with their beaks to those congeners who, being lower in rank, dare to do things (or even just intentions) that are not assigned to them by status.

The next major breakthrough in understanding chicken intelligence occurred decades later. The late Nicholas and Elsie Collias, working together at the University of California, Los Angeles, classified the sounds made by birds and determined that there were about 24 different sound signals in the chicken “repertoire”, many of which are obviously used only in certain conditions. For example, when faced with a threat emanating from above, say, an eagle that has flown out to hunt, birds fall to the ground and emit a quiet, agitated “and-and-and”. And the clucking associated with chickens in most people, in fact, serves as a warning about the appearance of a land predator. If the rooster finds food, then it usually makes a series of persistent sounds, transmitted as a “dock,” especially if there is an opportunity to interest the female, whose attention he sought.

These discoveries made it possible to reflect on the fact that much more complex processes may occur in the chicken brain than it seems at first glance - even if this brain is no bigger than a hazelnut. After all, it is quite natural to assume that a certain set of sounds allows chickens to transmit messages to each other, designed for a completely specific reaction. However, it turned out to be difficult to confirm such guesses. Only in the 1990s. the development of technology has given scientists the opportunity to test various hypotheses in detail and to reveal the true purpose of screaming in birds. It was then that the late Chris Evans of Macquarie University in Sydney. Australia and other researchers have begun using high-resolution digital audio recording devices and television screens to conduct controlled experiments aimed at identifying the meaning of certain sounds in a very signal-rich chicken "speech." The essence of the work was. that with the help of television screens arranged around the cages, the birds created a whole “virtual reality” in which they could make the chicken “contact” with various creatures - a companion, competitor, predator - and record the response of the experimental bird in a given situation. The tested chickens were shown a hawk flying over them, a fox running towards them, and another time, a rooster congener publishing its “dock-dock”.

Experiments in virtual reality revealed a completely unexpected fact: both verbal and non-verbal signals (body movements) produced by chickens transmit meaningful information that is understandable to all other individuals of the species. For example, in order to provoke a protective reaction in a chicken, it is not necessary for her to show a real predator - just let the other bird listen to the warning signal. Specialists in animal behavior can rightfully call chicken "speech" functionally oriented. This should be understood so that their sound signals indicate specific objects or events, and this generally resembles the use of words in human speech. As soon as a chicken hears a certain sound, an image of a certain object appears in its brain, prompting the bird to appropriate behavior - for example, to escape from a predator or to go to a feeding trough.

In addition, in experiments in “virtual reality”, researchers found the dependence of the signals sent by the bird on how it relates to the individuals surrounding it. For example, a rooster that sees a threat will raise an alarm only if there is a female nearby, while in the presence of a male competitor, he prefers to remain silent. However, the behavior of the females is as selective as the behavior of the males - they sound the alarm only if they have a brood of chicks.

Summarizing these facts, it can be argued that the sounds made by chickens reflect something more than just their internal state at the level of "I want to eat" or "I am scared." In addition, they delve into the meaning of the events and react to them impurely reflexively, as well as well-designed actions. Consequently, chickens ponder before doing something - and this trait brings them closer not only to other birds, but to mammals, whose brain is much larger.

Not by washing, so by skating?

The presence of a system of meaningful signals in domestic chickens suggests that their thinking is a much more complex and developed process than previously thought. This raises another very intriguing question: since these birds have the ability to share information about what is happening around events and events, can they “hold” useful information for themselves or even disseminate it in a distorted form in order to obtain benefits? Scientists got the answer to this question by studying other types of signals from chickens.

Since the 40s. XX century the researchers were well aware of the complex dances that chickens arrange when they discover food. The most spectacular of them is called “tidbitting”: it consists of a series of movements with which the cock (alpha male) tries to show the female that he found something tasty for her. At the same time, he quickly jerks his head up and down and from side to side, periodically lifting and tossing the delicacy he found. Such an idea is the main way to attract a female with a rooster. Scientists believed that the rest of the males should not exhibit the same behavior in order to avoid aggression from the alpha male. However, observations of chickens in their social environment showed that a hierarchy based on the "pecking order". - the thing is not as straightforward as it seemed after the first experiments. Indeed, the results of later studies suggest that these birds can be surprisingly insidious beasts.

The true background of the relationship that unfolds between individual chickens within the flock was initially misunderstood by observers. After all, chickens are constantly striving to find shelter from prying eyes in tall grass or in thickets of shrubs. In addition, it is simply impossible for one person to keep track of all the birds at the same time. To minimize difficulties, one of the authors of this article (Carolyn Smith) came up with a research scheme that she called in the Orwellian tradition - Big Brother in a chicken coop ”(Chicken Big Brother).

On the territory of the University, Macquarie Smith and her colleagues equipped open-air cages - vast natural areas, limited on all sides by networks, with lots of vegetation, many microphones and high-resolution tracking cameras to observe literally every movement and sound made by birds. Then the researchers carefully analyzed the records.

As expected, in each group the alpha male constantly crowed, thereby thereby reminding everyone of his rights to the occupied territory. Naturally, he also arranged an incendiary dance “tidbit” for his females and warned the whole group when they were in danger from above.

But the real surprise was presented just by the roosters, who occupied a much more modest position in the hierarchy. It seemed obvious to the researchers that they would behave as carefully as possible in order to avoid a conflict with the alpha male who would chase, bite or beat them with spurs for trying to “show off” in front of his harem. However, thanks to cameras and microphones, a much more complex picture appeared before scientists. “Secondary” males chose a different, hidden tactic that was previously considered impossible for birds. They performed only the motor part of the dance, without making a sound, which allowed them to silently attract females, without giving the alpha male a reason for aggressive attacks.

The researchers were simply shocked by the amazing plasticity of the behavior of low-ranking males, who changed the dance ritual in such a way as to secretly seduce females. But that was only the beginning!

Scientists had a chance to feel the whole depth of chicken insidiousness only when they were able to complicate recording equipment for a more accurate study of bird behavior. The fact is that chicken voices were often so elusive that Smith and her colleagues were not able to properly hear them even at maximum resolution. They needed a tool that really would record any sound made by one chicken and heard by another.

Ideally, chickens should be equipped with small “backpacks” with lightweight wireless microphones inside - such are the journalists working in the field carry with them. But where to find material suitable for such purposes? And then it occurred to Smith to use ... bras! She began to look for old bras with simple fasteners and preferably black, so that they do not stand out against the background of dark plumage. Smith cut off the hooks and adjustable straps and made from them something like a harness, to which she attached microphones. Such home-made devices, called Chicken Big Brother 2.0, were securely fixed on the chicken’s chest and now they literally recorded everything that the bird itself hears or says.

Scientists were especially interested in the reaction of chickens to danger. Previous observations showed that the male, when attacked by an air predator, such as a hawk, often “caused fire”, loudly screaming about danger and thereby putting himself at obvious risk of being noticed and captured. Researchers attributed this to. that the male is vital to protect their female and offspring. But Carolyn Smith was wondering if there were any other circumstances affecting this type of behavior.

Studies have shown that there are such factors. With the help of his invention, which allows to analyze the subtle nuances of chicken signals. Smith managed to prove that. -trucking ”about danger, males are often guided exclusively by selfish motives. As the threat approached, the males compared their chances of avoiding danger with the chances of their rivals and more often raised the alarm if they decided that they were safer than their competitors. In general, males shout about danger more often if they hide in the bushes, and their rival walks in the open space in full view of a hungry predator. With a good combination of circumstances, a cunning cock with one shot can kill two birds with one stone - and protect your female, and get rid of the enemy!

Such a strategy is known in the science of behavior as “risk compensation,” and this is another character trait common to both chickens and humans. It is proved that many of us take more if there are any “mitigating” circumstances. Just as a person presses gas harder if they fasten their seatbelt or if the car is equipped with an anti-lock braking system, the cock will risk his life more precisely when he feels sufficiently protected.

Caring mothers

The list of cognitive abilities of chickens is growing with each new discovery. Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trento. Italy, proved that young chickens can distinguish between numbers and even use the principles of geometry. So the birds, which showed the triangle, drawn only half, were able to recognize its true shape. A study published in 2011 by Joanne Edgar and her colleagues from the University of Bristol. England, demonstrated that in addition to their directly Machiavellian treachery, hens show the ability to sincerely empathize with others.

The mentioned hens participated in the experiment, which were forced to observe how their chicks receive safe and painless blows of an air stream that only ruffles their fluffy plumage. However, the chickens themselves perceived the tremors as a real threat and showed classic signs of stress, such as an increase in heart rate and a drop in temperature. Amazingly, their mothers also began to worry and cluck more lively, seeing the reaction of their chicks. They showed the same signs of stress as their chickens, although they themselves did not feel the tremors and clearly saw that there was no immediate threat to the chicks. All these results demonstrate the ability of ordinary chickens to put themselves in the place of their relatives, which is a very specific feature of behavior that was previously attributed to only a limited number of species, such as crows, squirrels, and of course, people. The fact that a simple domestic chicken, which does not have close family ties with those groups of birds whose high mental abilities are well known, has an equally outstanding intellect, makes us think about the mystery of the origin of the mind as a whole. Perhaps “rationality” is characteristic of the animal world to a much greater extent than previously thought, and appears everywhere where this is favored by a social lifestyle, and does not at all constitute an exception, inaccessible to biological evolution. In all likelihood, the chickens inherited a powerful cognitive gift from their wild ancestor, the Bankers chicken, who lives in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. In those places, ancestors of hens formed long-term, relatively stable groups, numbered from four to 13 individuals of different ages. The dominant male and female, leading each group, like most animals, received all the best, whether it be food, room for life or sexual partners, due to more or less suppression of the rest of the pack. Males spent most of their time attracting females and supplying them with food; the females carefully watched the males, evaluating their actions and remembering their actions in order to avoid those who acted meanly or unkindly in the future. The "reputation" of each particular rooster was of great importance for its successful and long-term communication with females, since the competition for them was fierce.

However, competition within the pack is not the only factor pushing the bird's mind to develop. The presence of external threats (including land and flying predators, such as foxes and hawks) led to the emergence of a variety of rescue strategies that changed depending on the behavior of the predator. This forced the birds to develop more highly intelligent ways of interacting with each other and responding to dangers from the outside, and also to look for ways to “discuss-the situations that arise. All of the above traits are still present in domesticated chickens.