How can they possibly see scratch seeds in pine shavings?

[rocklobster]

I've never had chickens before now. They are 8 weeks old this week.

People mention that they throw a hand full of "scratch" into the coop at night to keep the girls busy digging for food.

Can someone tell me how it's possible for a chicken to see small little seeds randomly thrown into pine shavings that are 3" deep. Doesn't this seem impossible? Another example is oatmeal flakes (pre-cooked) in pine shavings. It seems like it would be impossible to tell them apart since they look so similar.

Am I underestimating their visual capabilities? Do they use smell instead or something?

Joe

 

[Keene's coop]

i don't just through mine in. i put mine in small piles so the are visible. but i'm sure they will find them. they will scratch the shavings to find things. so don't worry.

 

[BlackBart]

Am I underestimating their visual capabilities?

Yes they are hot wired into recognizing the food they eat

 

[ibpboo]

It's pretty amazing how well chickens can see.
The other day one of mine was sitting in the nest box and it kept pecking at something that obviously was moving about. I could NOT see what it was. They also find the tiniest of bugs in the dirt.
Very amazing, their eyesight.
But now at night, they can not see a thing.
They go to bed before it gets dark.

 

[spartacus_63]

Chickens have a different focal length than we do. It has also been explained to me, but I do not have personal knowledge of this, birds see twice as fast as humans. for example, we see 60 images a second, birds see 120 images a second.

I can relate a story; I had a cockatiel that was allowed to fly around in the house. We had a ceiling fan in the kitchen and the bird would fly from below the fan between the blades and land on top of one of the blades. Now I know that sounds hard to believe, but it is true. Unfortunately it was before video cameras on phones.

He would only do this when the fan was on the 1st or 2d setting. I relayed the story to a vet and she told me about the ability of birds to see better than us. I guess it is also how hawks can spot mice from on wing.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Birds, including chickens, tend to have much more acute eyesight than humans. Add to that the fact that they're only a foot or two tall (meaning they aren't more than about a foot or two away from the scratch they're looking for) and it seems a little less incredible. I bet if you threw a handful of scratch onto a pile of shavings and then went looking for it from only a foot away you would find that it wasn't as difficult as you would think to see the grains.

 

[gryeyes]

Chickens have very good vision, as well as shape recognition. But they are also hard-wired to scratch, which moves stuff around. Then they see little things.

 

[Tdub4chiks]

Bluebirds can see a tiny bug on the ground from a telephone pole. It must be that most birds have great eye sight.

 

[BeccaB00]

<--- Thats first

Second, Yes they'll find them. You'll often notice your birds scratching the ground with their feet.

They do this to look for food, and they'll do this to the bedding and find anything that may be hiding

under the pine shavings. Chickens can also see anything that moves

Put a tiny worm on a far side

of the coop, away from the chickens. You'll see them all RACING for it shortly after.

In other words, if your really worried just keep it in a bowl

-Becca

 

[tennesseeckn]

I've noticed that mine will pick up bits of shavings, roll it around on their tongues, then spit it out once they determine that it's not food. They have to try EVERYTHING, just to be on the safe side, because they just can't take the chance that there is food uneaten in their vicinity.