Last year, I had written an article from this very point of view based on a study about the intelligence of pigeons; at that time I had wished for a similar study about chickens. My wish did come true lately that I hope I wished for winning the lottery.
I read a study published in the beginning of this year about the intelligence of chickens. According to this study, it is wrong to say that the chicken is a stupid and dumb creature and, as we usually think, does not need intelligence to survive its pre-programmed life. Furthermore, this study showed that each chicken has its own personality and differs from others but it coordinates with the others. For instance, the chicken recognizes its place in the yard and always comes back to it as well as its fellow chickens and each one respects the others’ characteristics.
Ph.D. Lori Marino from the Psychology of Domestic Animals Center has conducted this study granted by the American organization Farm Sanctuary, in which she stated that chickens communicate with each other through several signals and more than 24 different vocalizations used in dangerous situations to alert others.
They are also able to detect the passage of time and anticipate future events such as the felling of feeders or drinking water or even turning off the lights.
The chicken is characterized by a high sensitivity where it can repel a strange, unfamiliar human being or animal, so it warns others about an unwelcoming individual who might be causing annoying noises and turmoil inside the barn or it can approve of him and also notify its fellow chickens that would welcome him with complete serenity. The chicken has human feelings as well such as anxiety, fear, comfort, and the ability to take the right decisions at the right time. In fact, this study did not surprise me as much as it made my heart melt because we live like those chickens in these spacious prisons that we still call “countries”. We are well educated and smart individuals, we share the same feelings and emotions as all humans on this earth, but do we live like them?
when I take the time to observe the events happening around us, I wonder with so much sorrow and distress asking myself: why do we not have the right to live like our chickens? All their needs are already fulfilled, they should only provide us with their eggs and meats… is that too much to ask for?
Not only do we live in a world that grants us nothing at all, but also all our belongings, our lives, and our dignity had become under the mercy of this universe’s Gods, which made us stop believing in everything…
We stopped believing in Freedom, in religions, in science and technology, even in the independence of nations from the yoke of colonialism that we came now to prefer going back to that obnoxious state in order for us to escape from the spear of tyranny and slavery that is predominating our lives.
Escape? Where to?
