The chicken saga continues. I posted before about these two huge black chickens we have. Well, now they've started fighting ferociously, leaping into the air and clawing at each other. No excuse,either, they are housed in a generously-sized henhouse, and are free to roam during the day.

So between their being meat birds, not egg birds, and the behavior, I told my husband I would kill one if he would skin it and gut it. (He can only kill fish. Anything else, he'd have to be starving.) He reluctantly agreed.

So I remembered seeing how to hypontize chickens on Discovery Channel, and I tried it.

Something happens, but they're not hypnotized. There are two methods. The common one is to lay the chicken on its back or stomach, then place its head on the ground, then draw with your finger a line in the sand between the beak and an imaginary point about 18 inches in front of (from the chicken's point of view) the beak. The other is just to lay the chicken on its side and restrain it gently in that position, head flat on the ground.

Using either method, the chicken calms right down and becomes passive and unmoving. But its eyes are wide open, bright and alert.

So am I doing it wrong? Or is what they called hypnosis just playing possum?
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01-03-06, 08:41 PM
Georgia85
I used to do this at the local Renaissance Festival until I got kicked out of the petting zoo for "animal cruelty" Geesh. I was with my ex at the time, a country boy, who knew all about hypnotizing chickens. He would draw a thick line in the dirt about 12 inches long and then place the chicken in front of it, pushing the chicken's head down until it was on the ground and the chicken could do nothing but stare straight ahead down the length of the line. It worked every time. Chicken would be totally immobilized. Had something to do with sensory overload on it's brain.

But apparently this doesn't always work. Your second method is used by hypnotists as a stage trick. You firmly hold a chicken on its side against a firm surface for about 30 seconds until it stops moving around. Supposedly it will become completely still, to the point where the muscles become stiff. This can last for many minutes up to 2 or more hours....supposedly according to hypnotists.
H B Gibson, in his book Hypnosis - its Nature and Therapeutic Uses - states that the record period for a chicken remaining in hypnosis is 3 hours 47 minutes. When the chicken's eyes are closed it is likely to remain hypnotized for a longer time length.

01-03-06, 10:36 PM
Tree
Wow you guys are really blowing my mind! I have NEVER heard of such a procedure!

Being raised on a farm as a youngster, I'm really surprised that no one tried that.

Hey wait! Maybe they did. What do I know - I was only 3 yrs old at the time.

Very interesting thread Bab and Georgia!

01-03-06, 10:38 PM
Georgia85
Tree, I had never heard of it either until I met Stu who taught me the trick. Imagine...me....holding a chicken down against the dirt....lol

01-03-06, 10:40 PM
Tree
Wild! Very wild! I have to ask around tomorrow to see is anyone's experienced this!

Thanks for sharing! For some reason I found that quite fascinating!

01-03-06, 10:40 PM
Georgia85
Doesn't take much now does it? lol Wink
Or are you just yanking my leg?

01-03-06, 10:43 PM
Tree
NO! I'm serious. When I learn of little weirdnesses like that I just wonder, WHY I've never heard of it... that's all.

It's very interesting. Seriously.

AND, no - I can't visualize you holding onto a chicken until it fell into a transe or sorts.

01-03-06, 10:46 PM
Georgia85
Well, apparently it's a farm/country thing and like you said - it's quite possible they did it on your farm and you were too young to remember. You'll have to ask family members and then get back to us.

01-03-06, 10:48 PM
Tree
Don't have any family members left. I can ask other people who lived on farms tho!

Thanks! If I get any more info, I'll definitely post it here. Wink

(I've already copied this post into an email and sent it to myself at work!)

01-03-06, 10:58 PM
DorianGreyed
Could you give one a post-hypnotic suggestion so that, when it hears a certain word, it goes around acting like a human?

01-03-06, 10:59 PM
Georgia85
Good one DG!

01-03-06, 11:06 PM
Professor

quote:
Or are you just yanking my leg?

You mean drumstick? Go ahead and pullet.

01-03-06, 11:29 PM
Tree
You guys are hilarious!

Funny, Professor, how you quoted Georgia as saying "Yanking my leg" because I TOTALLY read "Yanking my chain". Now 'spain that to me. I wanna see if you're right! Wink

01-04-06, 04:16 AM
babthrower

quote:
Originally posted by babthrower:

quote:
Originally posted by DorianGreyed:
Could you give one a post-hypnotic suggestion so that, when it hears a certain word, it goes around acting like a human?



God, no! They already fight and chase each other around even though there's plenty of room and food for all. All I need is to have them demanding I-Pods or little red sportscars, and stomping through the house without taking off their outdoor shoes and expecting me to do their laundry and threatening to quit school if I don't let them do naughty things with their friends in their bedrooms. Eek


01-04-06, 11:26 PM
Tree
Bab! You're hilarious!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,