This pet chicken from B.C. is now a Guinness World Record holder
Lacey may look like just another pet chicken on Emily Carrington’s B.C. property. But she has a title her coop mates don’t: Guinness World Record holder.
Carrington, who is a veterinarian and lives on Gabriola Island, began teaching Lacey and her other chickens how to identify simple letters and shapes last year, and found them to be quick learners.
“If I present two choices in front of them, they walk over and they pick the one that I’ve taught them to peck at, and they ignore the other ones,” said Carrington, who added she rewards a correct answer with a bit of grain, bread or fruit.
After teaching her chickens to pick out letters of the alphabet, she contacted staff at the Guinness Book of World Records about competing for the title of most tricks performed by a chicken. And she was given the go-ahead to bring in independent witnesses and videographers to document the attempt in early April.
“First of all, I thought the record would be fun to do. But mostly, its way to present the chicken – who gets kind of a bum rap in a lot of ways – this prize for being really, really good at something that maybe people didn’t know they could do at all,” said Carrington.
On testing day, Lacey managed to correctly pick six consecutive letters.
“So I ran two or three chickens through the series of tricks, and it just happened on that day Lacey was a little bit faster, and she was a little more accurate than the others,” said Carrington. “She’s a lovely little chicken, but she’s not really different from the others or any other chicken. And all chickens probably have the ability to do these things.”
After sending in the video evidence, last week it became official. Lacey the chicken had been named the Guinness World Record holder in a brand-new category: Most identifications by a chicken in one minute. The category, Carrington says, more appropriately reflects what Lacey is capable of than the one for tricks.
“When they changed it to identification, so being able to tell letters apart, they are featuring the chicken’s intelligence and its ability to make choices. So I love that they changed that. Now Lacey has her own category,” said Carrington.
She hopes Lacey’s feat will open people’s eyes to what chickens can do.
“We all know ravens are very, very smart and parrots can talk. But I don’t think anybody has stopped to think about chickens very much,” Carrington said.
Having mastered the alphabet, Lacey and the other chickens will soon be moving to a nearby farm to enjoy their golden years.
“I think with this group of chickens, I learned all I can,” Carrington said. “So the chickens are going to go live out their retirement at that beautiful acreage.”
But only one of them can boast that they’re a world record holder.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What we know about Health Canada's response to the new global mpox outbreak
Health Canada says it is 'closely monitoring' the resurgence of mpox cases, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern on Wednesday. Here's what you need to know about Canada's response to the current outbreak.
Multiple arrests made in connection to Matthew Perry's death
Five individuals, including two doctors, have been charged in connection with the 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Australian weather presenter's panic attack on air sheds light on problem
An Australian weather presenter who suffered a panic attack on air is using the moment to spread awareness about the mental health problem.
Federal government rejects CN request to intervene in labour dispute ahead of potential lockout, strike
Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon has rejected the Canadian National Railway Company’s request to intervene in the ongoing labour dispute between the company and the union representing railway employees.
Teacher who taped the word 'poop' onto kindergarten student's arm suspended 2 days
An elementary school teacher from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been handed a two-day suspension for incidents of professional misconduct, which included briefly taping the word 'poop' onto a student's arm.
Protests sweep India over rape and murder of doctor
Holding candles, hundreds of thousands of women marched through the night in cities across India, to protest the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor in a hospital.
Jasper residents anxious on the eve of their return to town following devastating wildfire
More than three weeks after a wildfire forced them to flee, Jasperites will soon be able to return to their beloved town. But there is anxiety among the few who found refuge in the neighbouring town of Hinton, about 45 minutes east of Jasper.
Captain Newfoundland, a 'psychedelic,' meditating provincial superhero, is about to go national
A pair of young filmmakers take aim at Newfoundland’s one-of-a-kind superhero, who patrolled the airwaves of late night television.
Forecast for Ernesto says hurricane will track 'well south' of Nova Scotia
Hurricane Ernesto is expected to track 'well south' of Nova Scotia by the time the storm approaches the Atlantic region on Monday, the Canadian Hurricane Centre says.