Why Does Chicken Hypnosis Work?

Tonic immobility is what researchers call "a fear-potentiated response” to being restrained. In other words, the chicken (or any other animal that exhibits this response) is convinced that it is going to die and goes into a kind of cationic state.

Is it cruel to hypnotize a chicken?

Hypnotism is probably the wrong word, though. The trick is thought to be a gentle way of inducing 'tonic immobility', a state of temporary paralysis that enables an animal to feign death when cornered by a predator. Similar methods work on other species, too.

How does hypnosis work on chicken?

When the chicken's beak nearly touches the paper, draw a line in front of it. When you remove your hands, the chicken just stands there, staring at the line. After a minute or so, it starts looking skeptical, and then it walks away with a sort of knowing ease, which is pleasant to see in a chicken.