Chickens are thought to be dumb. This animal is often used as an example of stupidity. However, scientists say that this could not be farther from the truth as chickens are incredibly smart and possibly empathetic.

Chickens have an age-old reputation of being dumber than other birds. They are seen as simply meat-giving resources with delicious eggs. This idea was recently negated after scientists revealed that chickens are very intelligent, explaining that they are capable of doing many smart activities and have the ability to empathize with their peers, the BBC reported.

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With a population of around 19 billion, chickens outnumber most birds on Earth. They are capable of counting and can even manipulating each other. They also reportedly exhibit self-awareness, albeit in low levels. 

This idea of chickens lacking intelligence as compared to other animals was challenged after the research findings of an undergraduate class at University of Adelaide, Australia. Close inspection of the chickens' behavior revealed that these birds are capable of feeling boredom, happiness, and freedom.The students also reported their surprise to discover how fast chickens can learn. Further details provided by this research said that chickens could also perform basic arithmetic and are good at counting.

Lisel O'Dwyer, the head of this research at Adelaide, stated that she intends to work on people's reactions and eating habits in responses to these results.

The most shocking is the revelation that chicken might possess the ability to perform "mental time travel." An experiment was conducted which showed that these birds could imagine what the future would be like and what would possibly happen to them.

The findings of another study showed that chicken could glean information from their memories. Socially complex and slightly deceptive, chickens have much better cognitive skills than people think.