Chickens you can count on

Chickens may be bred in large numbers, but studies show that they're also able to count. Photo: AP

Chickens may be bred in large numbers, but studies show that they're also able to count. Photo: AP

Published Jan 30, 2015

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Italy – Chickens are able to count, a study has claimed.

Freshly hatched chicks know the difference between numbers. And, just like us, they count from left to right, it found.

Scientists began by teaching three-day-old chicks to retrieve a treat from behind a card with five dots on it.

After the chickens had mastered this, the card was replaced with a pair of cards with two dots on them.

One was placed to the right and one to the left of where the five-dot card had been. Almost all of the chicks made for the card on the left, the journal Science reports.

The game was repeated, this time with two cards showing the number 8.

The chickens were drawn to the card on the right.

Researchers from the University of Padova, in Italy, said this suggests the birds are creating a ‘mental number line’ with the 2 on the left, the 5 in the middle and the 8 on the right.

This was confirmed by a second experiment, in which 20 was the starter number.

This meant the number 8 was a ‘lower’ number, and saw the birds go to the left.

Daily Mail

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