Lacey the Gabriola Island hen has just become a Guinness World Records title holder for the most identifications by a chicken in one minute.
This means that when different numbers, colours and letters are presented, the bird is able to recognize the shapes it is trained to recognize, and ignore the ones it isn't.
"When they see that particular letter or colour, they learn that if they peck it they get a reward. They can tell it from the different letters or numbers," said Emily Carrington, Lacey's owner.
The veterinarian and graphic novelist said she wanted to show just how smart chickens are.
"I was training them to do tricks and I thought it would be fun to try for a record because I've been doing a lot of training."
Carrington purchased several 16-week-old hyline chickens last spring to serve as egg producers. The hens, named Bossy Pants, Lacey, Speedy, Brown Chicken and Nervous Nellie shared the same training regimen while maintaining their day job as egg layers.
At first Carrington used fridge magnets, teaching them that if they pecked the specific magnet they would get a treat, usually in the form of grain. Initially the hens were confused at being offered alphabetized shapes, staring cluelessly, but over time they figured out if those specific shapes were pecked, it yielded rewards.
After the hens memorized one shape, which usually took a day or two, Carrington would add a different one.
"Their job was to only peck the number or letter that I taught them to peck and ignore the other ones. Even if I add a whole bunch of other letters that aren't the letter they are supposed to peck, they will just peck the letter that I trained them to peck."
All the hens competed, but Lacey identified the most within the minute, reaching a total of six identifications.
For the one-minute video that earned the world record, Lacey had to choose a plate with three beads, ignoring a plate with one bead; choose the magnetic letter A, ignoring the S; choose the paper letter A, ignoring S; choose the letter O, ignoring Z; choose the letter B (this one the bird failed by choosing H); choose the letter J, ignoring T; choose the number five, ignoring seven; choose the yellow square, ignoring white, pink and blue squares; and knock a cup over to get a treat.
Lacey was then planned to throw a ball, but the time limit expired.
The original goal was the record for the most tricks by a chicken in one minute, but since all the tricks revolved around identification skills, Guinness reworked the title – something which Carrington said pleased her for its reference to the bird's intellect.
"The chicken is a very underestimated animal and I think if you could stop to think the chicken is a smart animal … you could maybe look at other animals and think 'Maybe they're smarter than I thought.'"
Now that the flock has accomplished the goal, the birds will enjoy retirement at a local no-kill acreage where they can roam free with other hens, maybe even meet a rooster or two.
"I just like the idea of them having a retirement," Carrington said, laughing. "A retirement like people where they have their 'golden years.'"
Carrington has a YouTube channel where she has documented her chickens called 'The Thinking Chicken,' which people can view if they want to learn more.
While chickens need to have a healthy diet for their eggs, Carrington said the world record accomplishment deserves a rare exception.
"When the certificate arrives in the mail I will buy my chickens a cupcake with icing on it and they can all plow their little beaks into it," she said.
