Chickens are pretty stupid. They do stupid survival things like pooping in their feeder, but they'll then refuse to eat their food because they can see it's contaminated. They do stupid social things, like killing other chickens because their pecking order instinct causes them to peck at a visible injury, making said injury worse, but they have social interactions all the same. They go into a panic because of stupid triggers like a rag blowing in the wind and ignore actual dangers like a tractor, but they're definitely able to be scared. They don't learn many verbal commands like a dog could, but they recognize the face of their owner and will do behaviors likely to get them fed. Pigs, some cows, and some goats are as intelligent, emotive, and personable as a family dog, but chickens are just not that smart.
However! They're identifiably, understandably stupid, like a tiny human with terrifically poor planning, observing, memorization, predicting, social, and emoting skills. It's not an alien kind of stupidity like that of a fish, insect, plant, or rock (or computer program). I can say with great confidence that chickens are quite low on the emotion/intelligence spectrum, but in saying that I'm quite confident that they're on it.
If your criteria for animal cruelty is achieving a particular level or capability on the sapience/sentience spectrum, you can feel pretty safe eating chicken. If your criteria is that they not posses intelligence or experience emotions at all, you'd better go pescatarian. Or eat mutton: if sheep have any intelligence at all it's completely undetectable to me.
However! They're identifiably, understandably stupid, like a tiny human with terrifically poor planning, observing, memorization, predicting, social, and emoting skills. It's not an alien kind of stupidity like that of a fish, insect, plant, or rock (or computer program). I can say with great confidence that chickens are quite low on the emotion/intelligence spectrum, but in saying that I'm quite confident that they're on it.
If your criteria for animal cruelty is achieving a particular level or capability on the sapience/sentience spectrum, you can feel pretty safe eating chicken. If your criteria is that they not posses intelligence or experience emotions at all, you'd better go pescatarian. Or eat mutton: if sheep have any intelligence at all it's completely undetectable to me.