All my young life. They have very marginal responses to their environment. They see a threat, they respond. They turn their backs on the threat, seconds later they are back to pecking at the dirt.
I spent a lot of time with chickens when I was a kid. The ones I dealt with had quite distinct personalities, some were friendly, some fearful, some brave and they also seemed to respond to stress. Obviously they are different from humans but I thought they had quite a range of behaviors.
I don’t know much about chickens but look after some bees. The awareness and organisation of a colony is striking. The bar is perhaps a little higher than the OP intended it to be.
Isn't that anthropomorphizing right there? Maybe more correct to say "The evolved stimulus reactions in individuals resulting in complex group behaviors is striking"?
Bees are a great example of mindless creatures with no awareness. They die a horrible death when they sting someone (their internal organs ripped out of their bodies with the stinger) with no obvious awareness of what they're doing.