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Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
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This thread was prompted by an article I read that said chickens could recognize human faces, and they clearly recognized me.

If you think of wild turkeys as a relative of your chickens, that explains what would happen when I would throw out cracked corn for them in the winter and they would come w/in 10' feet of me as I threw the corn out.
One day they showed up for a snack and I asked my brother to go out and throw some cracked corn down for them. They all scattered the hell out of there as soon as they saw him instead of me.

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Originally posted by TigerDore:

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Originally posted by thunderson:
Tucking their head under their wing puts them out as well.

I learned to do that in South America. One of the local men would tuck the chicken's head under its wing, then pick the chicken up and waive it around in a vertical circular motion, like an "O", and then set it down. It would just stay there immobilized for quite a while. When I tried it, it worked like a charm.

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Yes, I did this to many chickens when I was growing up many many years ago. They would stay still for quite a while.

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Originally posted by Archie Teuthis:
Animal folks call this a tonic state or tonic immobility.
There’s a fellow in Jupiter, FL I’ve watched do this to sharks. He then removes fishing hooks.

Killer whales do this to large sharks to make it easier to feed on them.



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My grandmother had chickens but she never taught me that one. She did give me a baby chick that I raised to an adult hen who was a nice little pet. She would come to me when I called, eat out of my hand, and let me pet her.

I heard you can hypnotize a cassowary by dropping to the ground in front of them.

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Originally posted by sigmonkey:
I heard you can hypnotize a cassowary by dropping to the ground in front of them.

You can certainly gain their undivided attention.



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I've done it with a shark. Just roll them over on their back.

It never works. They won't concentrate on the pocket watch.

Yup. Did the line in the sand, and tucking the head. Both work.

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Originally posted by ruger357:
I've done it with a shark. Just roll them over on their back.

I did it with a baby whale back when I was dating...

I dated her sister...

Do the chickens have large talons?

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Originally posted by PD:
Never mind. I thought this was about an Iggy Pop song.

Or an Iggy and the Stooges song.

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Originally posted by mojojojo:
Yes, but did it a different way. Push their neck down against the ground and draw a line in the sand running out away from their beak about a foot. Repeat that several times and they are glued to looking at the line. Plenty of time to go get the hatchet or whatnot.

I didn’t know of the method you describe, and it’s utterly weird. Here’s Wikipedia’s description of it:

“A chicken can be "hypnotized", or put into a trance, by holding its head down against the ground, and drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at the beak and extending straight outward in front of the chicken. If the chicken is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds and 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line…”

https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonic_immobility

But it does work. Lay them on their side, head to the ground, and draw that line out straight from their beak. Repeat a number of times, then slowly release your hold. They stay put.

I always thought of it as “chicken tipping”

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Originally posted by BrianC:

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Originally posted by chongosuerte:

Gators do that too. Lay them on their back and they go to sleep.

I'll take your word for that.

I've only done it on the itty bitty ones

I was waiting for this.

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Originally posted by RichardC:
No, but I've choked one.