Welcome back! After an apparent death at the hands of “the end of the fall semester”, this blog has been retrieved from the depths of my bookmarks, dusted off (figuratively), and subsequently resurrected. Rejoice, for the series lives on, returning for the new year and rescued from eternal slumber – at least for now!
Anyways, I am sure that many people can relate when I say that I randomly remember random memories. One such memory is of my high school classmate being so-called hypnotized at a school event by an entertainer. That is what helped to create the idea of this post. Most of the general population is aware of the existence of hypnosis and may consider it to be a cheap attempt at mind control. Less know about its specific mechanisms and (potential) psychologically therapeutic effects, and even less have heard anything about “chicken hypnosis”.
So how does chicken hypnosis work? As for one method to perform this “ritual”, humanely restrain the chicken on the ground, firmly draw a foot-long straight line (or motion it with a single finger) extending away from the front of the chicken’s beak, and almost as if admitting defeat, the avian will cease its struggling, lie down, and stay there – completely still – for an extended period of time. Eventually, the chicken will “wake” itself up without the need for much help or any revival/resuscitation. It is crazy how it quits and suddenly gives up – almost like magic, right?
Honestly, it seemed fake and silly to me at first until I saw it. Believe it or not, chicken hypnosis even has its own Wikipedia page with additional information (including other “techniques”), so feel free to take a look at it in your spare time. Now, it definitely looks real to me but, I am still oddly intrigued as to how it actually works at all to begin with. It is said that the chicken behaves this way and plays dead, similarly to a possum, as an instinctual defense mechanism known as tonic immobility. Furthermore, with proper care and handling, hypnosis can also be used to conveniently examine certain areas of the chicken’s body without it throwing a problematic fit as a chaotic freak. I have never tried hypnotizing any of my chickens, and I unfortunately no longer have the opportunity to either, so I do not have any personal evidence – only YouTube videos. I may have accidentally done something similar to a sleepy or shocked chicken. If I could try it on problematic chicks, I would (respectfully). Perhaps I could train or condition one to bow down to me as its master, who knows.
Thanks for reading this blog post! Is chicken hypnosis real, or are the chickens just paid actors? Is it a forbidden art? Was this post clickbait (hint: no)? Feel free to share your thoughts down in the comments below, and look forward to the next entry.
This was really interesting to read because I’ve never heard of the ritual. I think it’s cool that the hypnosis can be used for examination without the chicken freaking out or moving so it must be useful for medical purposes.
I did not know you had pet chickens! I really want a pet chicken because I love eggs, especially fresh ones, and they are entertaining to watch. I enjoyed your introduction because that was how I felt when I was writing my first blog post back. Similarly, my high school had a hypnotist at every school event (I still do not know why). I have never heard of chicken hypnosis, however. Biology is very interesting, especially when it can be applied to real life. Seeing how natural instincts apply to life such as chicken hypnosis ensures that what we learn in class is real. This technique could be very helpful for a veterinarian when they are trying to help a vicious chicken.
This was a really interesting post! I think I’d briefly heard about chicken hypnosis in the past and was dismissive of it as fake, but this completely changed my perspective on it. Not only were the videos fascinating, but I thought it was cool seeing how many different pop culture references relating to chicken hypnotism are listed on the Wikipedia article. I can definitely see the potential benefits that you mentioned, such as performing an examination on the chicken without it panicking. I’m looking forward to seeing your future posts!