Did you know that many chickens (less so in large breed chickens) choose to “work” for their food? This is called contra-freeloading. Chickens have demonstrated that they will often choose to press a button or ring a bell for food instead of eating from a readily available food source. They may enjoy the extra engagement and stimulation provided.
Chickens are able to see more colors than humans! While the human retina contains cones that are sensitive to wavelengths of red, blue and green, chickens have an additional cone that can detect violet wavelengths, including some ultraviolet wavelengths!
While it might just sound like a bunch of clucking to an unfamiliar observer, chicken “language” consists of at least 24 different vocalizations! This doesn’t even include how they communicate through visual displays.