London (ddp). Stupid chicken because of! Chickens can count and even a few days after they hatch from the egg. Italian scientists have found that. Though many animals can distinguish between «greater» and «smaller», and often only if, they see two groups in direct comparison with each other. Chickens seem to be able, however, to abstrakterem thinking: differ even between larger and smaller, if the groups related to the choice are hidden after a short time. And they reckon with even if then before their eyes objects distributed by a group to the other and thus changing the group sizes, this is the conclusion Rosa Rugani and their colleagues from the University of Trento. Publish their findings in the journal «Proceedings of the Royal Society» (online toilette, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.0044).

The result is particularly striking because previous studies had shown that, for example, monkeys and even several-month-old infants on number space of one to three are limited. The chicks, however, could expect apparently inside the numbers from one to five, while the small fluffy geniuses were old, only three to four days as researchers presented them to the tasks. In the preparatory phase they put five small yellow balls in the cage the chicks first for a few hours, so that could get the chicks on this artificial brethren. Then the scientists removed the balls out of the cage and they did disappear before the eyes of the imprisoned chicks behind two shields: two balls left and right three balls.

After the chicks were released, they spontaneously ran to the shield, behind the more balls and thus the greater incentive were. Then the researchers increased the level of difficulty and computing tasks were the chicks: had left four balls behind the and disappear a ball behind the right screen. While this chick looked, they had to hike two balls from left to right. Now only two balls were located on the left and on the right side three. So, the operation was of subtracting 4 ­ – 2 = 2 on the left side or the addition of 1 + 2 = 3 in relation to the right side. The chicks were then right. You had apparently counted and knew where now the greater number of balls was.

The researchers tested three more tasks that caused all the chicks without problems. In addition, the researchers examined whether the young chickens even opt for the larger number of objects, if they are different sizes: Hatten the choice between two dice on the left side and three smaller dice on the right side the chicks, they nevertheless decided for the right side. So actually were a decisive factor the number and not size and volume of the items.