A chicken can be "hypnotized", or put into a trance, by holding its head down against the ground, and drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at the 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 and 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line. One theory is that the trance is caused by fear, which is probably a defensive mechanism intended to feign death, albeit rather poorly.