Guinness World Record for intelligent BC chicken Lacey

A B.C. chicken named Lacey has earned a Guinness World Record for being able to correctly identify the most objects in one minute.

Lacey's owner, veterinarian Emily Carrington, says the world record shows that chickens are intelligent, and Lacey now has bragging rights as one of the world's smartest hens.

In a video of Lacey setting the record of six identifications, Carrington shows the hen a series of letters, numbers and coloured objects, before Lacey correctly pecks them out from among similar objects.

Carrington, who lives with Lacey on Gabriola Island, says Guinness officials sent a letter last month naming her the holder of the record for "most identifications by a chicken in one minute."

She says Guinness World Records created the category because the tricks Lacey performed "showed intelligence and making choices."

Carrington says that in addition to being able to identify letters and other objects, Lacey can jump through hoops and lay one egg a day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2024.