Chickens are wicked smart...I mean problem solving smart! I used to think that a chicken was just something you put on your table at dinner, but now that I have them my opionion has been changed. Baby chicks will play keep away with the other chicks when they aren't sleeping or eating. And they'll play it with the oddest things...this past spring, mine played it with a crust of bread, a small stick, a dried leaf...they'll use anything. Cutest thing ever. Wish I had a video to share of that...maybe when I hatch some out in the spring I can share that. Sometimes the adults will do it too if they have a high value item, but the chicks are the cutest.
My adult chickens know that the red bucket is what I bring the food out in, so if I throw the red bucket, they'll run after it, but after they see it's empty, they'll run after me knowing that the food source is me and not the bucket. Pretty smart for a bird, I'd say.
Interesting video about chicken intelligence:
http://fowlplaymovie.com/display_video.php?id=4