Kristie Middleton never thought she’d spend Thanksgiving cuddling a turkey. “I just never thought of turkeys as wanting human attention or wanting human interaction,” she says. But then again, she’d never met Kona. Several years ago, Middleton was visiting Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary in French Camp, California, for its Thanksgiving celebration. There she found Kona strutting his stuff, trying to entice visitors to pet him. “He even preferred having human attention over whatever food treats were being offered to him,” says Middleton, who ended up snuggling with the flirty bird for more than an hour.

Middleton, who is the senior director of food policy for the HSUS, has since spent lots of time with farm animals and says they are remarkably similar to the dogs and cats we live with. They have likes and dislikes, preferences and relationships—“they just show it differently,” she says.

“Researchers have found that there is more thought and feeling in animals than humans have ever imagined,” says Jonathan Balcombe, director of animal sentience for the HSUS. Balcombe, who has published five books and more than 50 articles on animal behavior, says that recent scientific studies have given us an even greater understanding of the emotional and intellectual lives of farm animals. What researchers have learned will likely surprise you.

For example, did you know…

1. Chickens learn from watching Mom

It was once thought that chicks’ behavior was primarily instinctual. However, research has shown that chicks actually learn from watching other chickens or from being directed by their mothers. Chickens steer their offspring away from unhealthy food and teach them how to avoid predators and other dangers. Chicks also learn to avoid bad-tasting food by watching others’ negative reactions to it.