I have 2 pet chickens (which also lay eggs). The black one is way smarter than the red (bearded) one. They have seed and laying mash at all times to eat, but they still LOVE treats.

But since the black one is larger, faster, more alert, etc., she always gets the lion's share. She will even catch a morsel in mid-air when I drop it.

So I was trying to level the playing field. I had some cooked ground meat (their absolute favorite thing) and this was my plan:

- Make a small pellet and a larger pellet.

- Drop the smaller pellet. When the black chick grabs it, drop the larger on in front of the red chick.

Worked like a charm! The black chick got the little pellet, the red one the large pellet, and I thought that even if the black one now and then got both, the red one would still be better off than now.

So I dropped the little pellet. The black hen made a move towards it, but ABORTED! AT THAT INSTANT I WAS DROPPING THE BIG PELLET!!! SHE GOT IT!

Meantime the red one made an end run and got the little one.

I've seen wonderful video clips of smart crows.

I think their 'wiring' is, like their bones, adaapted to be light in weight. Maybe we could learn a lot about brain function by studying them.

Anyone know of any smart birds?