“Can chickens fly? ” “Chickens CAN fly!” “Chickens CAN’T fly!” “They can fly until they get their wings clipped!”
A flying chicken!? Has science gone too far???
Well, which is it? I’ve heard a lot of people ask and debate this over the years and the true answer isn’t so black and white. I think a lot of confusion comes from the turkey. Most people know that wild turkeys can fly, you may have see them hanging out by the road, in the woods, or out hunting and once they get spooked, they take flight. They also roost in trees at night. Domesticated turkeys are plump with an endless food supply and can only fly very low and for short distances. Like turkeys, wild chickens and domesticated chickens vary in their flying abilities.
“John, do you eat turkey?” Are turkeys chickens? As you can see, fundamentally they aren’t, so turkeys are not my friends. So yes, I do.
The Red Junglefowl is literally a wild chicken. They were domesticated around 7000 BC from parts of Asia, namely India and China, and have been bred out into the hundreds of breeds and varieties we have today. Though wild chickens cannot fly as high or far as wild turkeys, they can fly far enough to escape predators, fly over rivers, or high into trees to roost. Our domesticated chickens, on the other hand, do not need to scavenge for their own food and they have an endless supply of it. This basically makes them fat and lazy, just like your cat that hardly feels like catching mice anymore.
The Red Junglefowl vs. Your Fat Cat
However, breed is also something to keep in mind. Smaller, lighter chickens will be able to fly higher and further and tend to be more agile overall. A flighty chicken that comes to mind is the Brown Leghorn, especially if they are a bantam. A bantam is a smaller bred version of a chicken, and standard is the name given to breeds of full size (think of cows vs. miniature cows). However, heavier breeds such as the Jersey Giant won’t be able to fly well at all. Chickens raised specifically for meat (Broilers) can hardly stand, let alone fly.
Standard vs. Bantam
How high and far chickens can fly depend on breed, weight, and how wild their temperament is. Some people may choose to get their wings clipped as most breeds can fly over low fences and at night, they still have the instinct to try and perch as high as possible to avoid predators. But all chickens, wild and domesticated, don’t fly in the way wild turkeys and other birds do. Though they don’t fly in the traditional sense, they do have the ability to “fall in style” as Buzz Lightyear would put it. Getting over a short fence or into a tree is no problem, gliding for a few feet is no problem, but taking off into the air and flying south for winter – not going to happen.
This is a young Salt, who has since become even plumper. Do you think she’s going to fly anywhere? She can barely make it up to the 2 ft perch.
Gather round the campfire, children, and let me tell you a story. Once when I was but a wee lad I decided to take my trusty Araucana hen, Little Peep, up onto the roof of the garage for an adventure. Why? Because that’s how I roll. Have you taken your chicken onto the roof of your garage? Didn’t think so. It was quite hot that day and I had a mini squirt gun in hand and thought it might be a good idea to cool her down with a couple pumps from the pistol. However, the small blast of water startled her and in a second, she took flight, gliding the distance of my short yard (which has been the farthest distance I’ve ever seen a chicken fly to this day).
Little Peep yawning. Or impressed with her own record.
By coincidence, my brother had just come outside, and with my eye on the approximate spot where she had landed, I gave him instructions to place a rock there. I climbed down and grabbed a tape measure. With the height of the garage, she managed to fly about 44 feet. Far from record-breaking, but still impressive for her size and age.
This is King, our now deceased but naturally flighty rooster. He was kind of a jerk though.
World Records:
- The longest recorded flight of a chicken was 301 ft. 6 in. which is just over the length of a football field!
- The heaviest chicken ever recorded was Big Snow, who was a White Sully and weighed 23 pounds and 3 ounces.
- Matilda was the world’s oldest living chicken and lived to be 16 years old.
- The longest a chicken has ever lived without a head was Mike the headless chicken who lived for 18 months without a head.
- The heaviest egg laid by a chicken was done so by a White Leghorn. It was double yolked and double shelled and weighed 464 grams (16 ounces).
- The world record for the greatest animal on the planet according to me is the chicken.
Matilda, the oldest recorded chicken to ever live. Little Peep lived to be 11 and was our oldest chicken.
Trivia:
Send me an email to jjarvis1@une.edu with the answer to the monthly trivia and your name will be entered for a prize at the end of the semester. The more right answers you give, the higher chance you have of winning! What’s the prize, you ask? You have the choice between a carton of farm fresh eggs OR Chicken Run on DVD to be delivered to you at UNE! The trivia answer has to be emailed to me before the next trivia starts (January 1) to count, so don’t delay!
The drawing for the prize will also be on January 1st so don’t forget to enter!!
This month’s trivia is:
About how many chickens are there on the planet?
Last month’s trivia was:
Q: What is the scientific name for chicken? A: Gallus gallus domesticus
Thanks for playing everyone! I’m looking forward to drawing the prize next month!
Happy December and Happy Holidays!
-Chicken John
Last year’s annual e-card. Look forward to this year’s card!
UNE Chicken Club 