As many of you know we are constantly on the lookout for smart chickens and viola! We have found another little genius. This little hen aptly nicknamed, Einstinia participating at Terry Ryan Chicken Camp has proven that she is a very smart chicken. When shown cards with various animal shapes Einstinia the chicken finds the zebra almost every time. Watch her go!
Featured Video: Super smart chicken @ terry ryan chicken camp
About Einstinia's Video
"Nicknamed "Einstinia," this is the chicken I trained while participating in chicken camp, a program designed to improve training skills. Her job was to peck only the zebra. She was the only hen in class to correctly discriminate between all of the zoo animals. She misses a few times here, but reached a consistent 100% in subsequent trials. And discrimination was only one of many "tricks" we taught them. As a licensed vet tech working for a Veterinary Behaviorist, part of my job involves demonstrating to our clients how to teach foundation behaviors and how to implement the behavior modification exercises that Dr. Sung prescribes. Chicken Camp was an amazing experience! I recommend it to ANYONE who works with any type of animal --- including homo sapiens. A few of my classmates were elementary school teachers" (Paula Scott, 2016).
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About Terry Ryan's Chicken Camp

"Ryan has been a dog training class instructor since 1968. Through Legacy, she teaches pet dog classes, writes books, presents national and international seminars and workshops, hosts interns, and consults.She has been a competitor and American Kennel Club judge. She’s on the American Humane Society’s advisory board for humane dog training. Terry and her husband, Bill, live in Sequim, Washington with their English Cocker Spaniel, Brody" (3).
Terry Ryan's Training Camp is actually set up for training dogs. As part of an exercise to train potential dog trainers they offer three chicken training workshops. The reason they give for doing this is interesting to say the least but we like it. "Trainers do not have bad (or good!) chicken training habits because they’ve never trained a chicken before, thus avoiding the baggage often taken to dog training workshops. Training a chicken is a stretch and a boost to your mechanical skills. The average chicken is faster than the average dog, giving you a chance to improve your coordination and timing. Chickens will freeze or fly away if they don’t like the way you are training them. Unlike dogs, you will know immediately if you are taking advantage of a chicken or pushing too hard, too fast. Chickens don’t give their trainers a second chances as often as our dogs" (2).
Terry Ryan's Training Camp is actually set up for training dogs. As part of an exercise to train potential dog trainers they offer three chicken training workshops. The reason they give for doing this is interesting to say the least but we like it. "Trainers do not have bad (or good!) chicken training habits because they’ve never trained a chicken before, thus avoiding the baggage often taken to dog training workshops. Training a chicken is a stretch and a boost to your mechanical skills. The average chicken is faster than the average dog, giving you a chance to improve your coordination and timing. Chickens will freeze or fly away if they don’t like the way you are training them. Unlike dogs, you will know immediately if you are taking advantage of a chicken or pushing too hard, too fast. Chickens don’t give their trainers a second chances as often as our dogs" (2).
References:
1. Scott, Paula."Super Smart Chicken @ Terry Ryan Chicken Camp". (April 11, 2016). Youtube. Accessed December 12 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcQFEAxqjag.
2. Terry Ryan's Legacy Canine and Behavior. (2017). Terry Ryan's Legacy Canine and Behavior. Retrieved 12 December 2017, from https://www.legacycanine.com/chicken-workshops
3. Chicken Camp: Poultry in Motion can help you train your dog. (2012). Blue Ribbon News. Retrieved 12 December 2017, from http://blueribbonnews.com/2012/02/chicken-camp-poultry-in-motion-can-help-you-train-your-dog/
1. Scott, Paula."Super Smart Chicken @ Terry Ryan Chicken Camp". (April 11, 2016). Youtube. Accessed December 12 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcQFEAxqjag.
2. Terry Ryan's Legacy Canine and Behavior. (2017). Terry Ryan's Legacy Canine and Behavior. Retrieved 12 December 2017, from https://www.legacycanine.com/chicken-workshops
3. Chicken Camp: Poultry in Motion can help you train your dog. (2012). Blue Ribbon News. Retrieved 12 December 2017, from http://blueribbonnews.com/2012/02/chicken-camp-poultry-in-motion-can-help-you-train-your-dog/