Stumbled on a stat that said hens can recognize over 100 different faces

I was reading through some poultry science journal my wife gets for her 4-H stuff and found out chickens remember humans and other birds for months. Has anyone else noticed their flock acting different around certain neighbors versus family members?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_sanchez4711d ago

Wait, are you sure they remember you by faces alone or could it be more about your silhouette or body language? Chickens don't actually have great facial recognition like humans do, it's more about overall patterns and movement.

the_jade11d ago

Yeah that thing about them recognizing faces is real. I got a little flock of like 15 birds and they definitely treat my wife different than me. She feeds em in the morning so they come running when they see her but when I walk out there they just kinda stare at me until I toss some scratch grain. And it gets weirder with neighbors. My buddy from down the road came over to help fix a fence once and the rooster went nuts. Now every time he walks past the coop that same rooster puffs up and does the warning call. But my wife's sister comes over all the time and they dont even care. So yeah they memorize who is safe and who aint. Its not just faces either. They remember voices and even the sound of your footsteps.