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A chicken can be hypnotized, or put into a trance by holding its head down against the ground, and continuously drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at its beak and extending straight outward in front of the chicken. If the chicken is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds to 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line.
This technique is useful for farmers who need to slaughter a chicken and do not have help immediately available. It is also useful in feeding large pet reptiles who are too slow to catch a moving chicken.
The first known written reference for this method came in 1646, in Mirabile Experimentum de Imaginatione Gallinae by Athanasius Kircher.
H B Gibson, in his book Hypnosis - its Nature and Therapeutic Uses, states that the record period for a chicken remaining in hypnosis is 3 hours 47 minutes. *
Notable people who have discussed their hypnotizing of chickens
- Helmut Kohl, German statesman. Herr Kohl's preferred method remains uncertain. (Stern magazine, 13 September 1996)
- Al Gore, former U.S. vice-president. Mr Gore appears to have a non-orthodox technique, consisting of drawing imaginary circles around the chicken's head *.
Cultural references
- Fellini's 1984 And the Ship Sails On features a scene in which a male opera singer hypnotises a chicken in his cabin.
- Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" includes the line "I've been hurting since I bought the gimmick/About something called love ... Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens."
- In E. Nesbit's book The House of Arden an old woman says that she has left a chicken in this state.
- In Bryce Courtenay's book The Power of One the witch-doctor Inkosi Inkosikasi uses this trick, though it is viewed as magic, and not as hypnotism. Inkosi Inkosikasi makes it clear to the protagonist, Peekay, that it is a simple trick and not magic.
See also
External links
hypnosis
"Chicken hypnotism"