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Chicken Hypnotism

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Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#21

Post by LanceH »

YokoZar wrote: post #12
sandworm101 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't real hypnosis. It is the brain being hit with unusual or overwhelming stimulus and is basically blue-screening, locking up the entire system until something kicks it out of the loop and causes a reboot. Similar things happen to sharks if you put them upside down, or to deer caught in headlights at night. Unable to process what is happening, their brains just lock up. Drawing the line probably forces the chic…

Deer in headlights is probably a much simpler explanation - their eyes+pupils are adapted to the dim light, and sudden application of headlights is blinding. If you were suddenly blinded, you probably wouldn't respond by running either.

Faced with a predator at distance, deer freeze and depend on camouflage. A completely stationary deer is damn hard to see in the hills during the day. It's even more difficult to see at night. Faced with an oncoming car, they go with their natural reaction to stay still, and it works every time, except the last.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#22

Post by bacon_waffle »

feedbeef wrote: post #16
bacon_waffle wrote: post #4

This just moved "build henhouse" several steps up on my TODO list... Tempted to follow the spirit of this one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-ufo-chicken-spac...

The chicken gravitron is full of flair, but to work gardening into the picture, I've settled on this for now: http://www.bbqzoo.com/22-UFO-BBQ-COVER-UF22A.htm https://www.backwoodshome.com/save-time-and-energy-with-the-...

The approach in the second link seems like a great compromise between free ranging and a chicken tractor, thanks!

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#23

Post by Gustomaximus »

saagarjha wrote: post #7

Related: what’s the verdict on cat scruffing? Does it work? Should you do it to adult cats?

It works. You can also tie something around the middle of a cat like a teatowel and it has the same effect.

I used this to train a cat not to walk on my desk. Kept a teatowel and would do this every time for for a bit when ever it walked across my keyboard/papers while I was working.

Not sure if was ethical... Cat didnt seem in any discomfort, just annoyed it was stuck there. Was a while ago so not sure but seemed to train it ~5 times.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#24

Post by blarg1 »

daveslash wrote: post #3

Holy cow, it's real. I had chickens as a kid growing up and I was told this. I tried it; never succeeded. The only thing I learned was that chickens don't like having their heads grabbed. I just assumed it was some rural urban-legend.

When I had chickens, if I tried to grab them I would get a face full of feathered wings

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#25

Post by kart23 »

I love chickens. Lots of fond memories chasing after hens in my grandpa's backyard as a kid. We would put a basket over them, and ten minutes later, a fresh egg would appear. And then ten minutes later I would be eating scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#26

Post by dondawest »

klenwell wrote: post #10
hhs wrote: post #5

Are there neurological explanations about why this happens? Does this also happen to other animals?

As a kid, I kinda took hypnosis for granted largely on the basis of cartoons. It wasn't until I was in my twenties and had read up a little on human cognition and evolutionary psychology that it occurred to me to ask, "Wait, is hypnosis really a thing?" I found a Scientific American article around that time that gave a pretty good summary of the state of scientific inquiry into human hypnosis. One of the things it po…

NICE open-mindedness in acquiring your hypnosis knowledge man.

>I’m still largely puzzled as to why it might have a naturally selected basis.

Well, you just said it yourself: reading is a form of auto-hypnosis. All communication has a hypnotic component. In many ways, hypnosis is synonymous with “learning.”

It has a naturally-selected basis for the same reason that being able to read has a naturally selected basis: it’s just advantageous to be able to learn quickly.

I would argue that while some forms of hypnosis could be considered a vestige of a less cognitively-complex time (thinking of “highway hypnosis” which has no clear evolutionary advantage), other forms of hypnosis represent the absolute pinnacle of cognitive development: everyone who learns a programming language must first hypnotize themselves into learning that language.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#27

Post by rkagerer »

luc4sdreyer wrote: post #2

In this demonstration, the rooster doesn't even mind having its leg pulled and prodded. I wonder how much discomfort it will endure before snapping out of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ_Up5UdwG0

The rooster video is worth watching for the ending.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#28

Post by ignoramous »

iscrewyou wrote: post #8
Ididntdothis wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe there is a thing where sharks get turned over and stop moving.

Orcas use this technique to turn sharks upside down, induce tonic immobility, and then eat out the liver and leave rest of the carcass... https://www.sharktrust.org/tonic-immobility

Here's a relevant news.yc discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15723393

Amazing.

Re: Chicken Hypnotism

#29

Post by xpe »

luc4sdreyer wrote: post #2

In this demonstration, the rooster doesn't even mind having its leg pulled and prodded. I wonder how much discomfort it will endure before snapping out of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ_Up5UdwG0

A BBC video on chicken hypnosis and, gulp, gator hypnosis:

https://youtu.be/ozUjZUIJ5lg

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