which breed is the smartest chicken

I would say of all my chickens the dark cornish are the smartest, the hens not the roosters.

I find the PChants pretty smart. Real thinkers. Sometimes I see them looking at something and they look out of one eye and then the other like they are assessing the situation. Maybe I think they are smart cause I like them!

Now the Ams I find a bit reactionary and a bit stupid. Don't think just SQUACK! Doesn't mean I still don't like them though....

Cornish hens...agreed! When I move my heated water bowls they all gather round so they can be the first to rip apart the baby mice beneath.

mine are escape artists. But when they see me grab the net they head straight into the house to go to bed.

I don't really agree about the Dark Cornish as I find them a bit flighty. They do the "sky is following routine" when the shavings bag is brought into the coop or fly off the handle when a roughneck full of ashes is brought to them for a dust bath. I'm not going to pick a smartest breed but the Cornish Giants are the dumbest.

agree about the dumbest, giants are like turkeys, all breast no brain

The one that stays away when it comes to the chopping block ?

prairie dog wrote:The one that stays away when it comes to the chopping block ?

That's what I was thinking.
Even some of my Meat Kings are good at avoiding the block. It is embarrassing being outsmarted by a chicken!

Depends on what is smart . I know darn well that chickens have a great memory. I had four buff orpington pullets that had been grown out with the buckeyes last summer. They wanted eventually to be in with the birds of the same colour, so they went into the buff orpington pen. That was their destiny anyways. When the snow melted and they could go out free ranging on brown earth again. They tried their ding dangest to get back into that coop at the end that the little chicks were living in now. That was about 3 months they had been away. Doesn't sound that long, but they totally remembered where they used to live. And a barred rock hen, which I gave to a friend, remembered that she liked to jump on my lap . Now that was smart. Have wonderful days, CynthiaM.

Some chickens do have a great memory. I move my birds from their to spring/summer/fall house to their winter house and back every year. those that have done it once seem to remember the routine and don't get to worked up about being caught and moved and automatically go check out their favourite little spots. The first timers stay freaked out for a while. Those that have done it a couple time sit and coffee and a smoke a laugh at the newbies. ( I do not encourage smoking,but I think the dog is smuggling them in for some nefariouos reason.)

my hatchery cornish are idiots, i even blink and they fly through the roof... my other cornish are good tho my rooster is so laid back, calm, i don think they are to dumb. the ameracaunas are flighty as well , my marans are not tho... i dont think any of my birds are brain surgeons tho but if i have to pick the smartest the marans are... LMAO

When I had them years ago, the Naked Necks were noticeably smarter than the rest. They were always the first ones to figure something out or find a new food source and then the rest would follow along.

triplejfarms wrote:my hatchery cornish are idiots, i even blink and they fly through the roof... my other cornish are good tho my rooster is so laid back, calm, i don think they are to dumb. the ameracaunas are flighty as well , my marans are not tho... i dont think any of my birds are brain surgeons tho but if i have to pick the smartest the marans are... LMAO

Aha! I think it is the hatchery LF cornish that are dumb. I have breeder quality LF and bantams and both are smart birds.

I have buff orpingtons and buff brahmas with a mash of barnyard mix banty's. Everybody knows that when I come out at dinner time its bedtime. Its never a struggle putting my girls away.

I have 1 BO hen thats always at my side watching everything and is the 1st to come running to see me. I think thats my pick.