Can chickens fly?

Someone close to me, I shall not name names… My husband. Asked this question one evening while I was working on the blog. In busy state, I answered him automatically with a bit of that “well, duh” attitude. No, chickens cannot fly. Then it sort of creeped around inside my head. That inner nerd. Did I just give false information? So I turned to my tried and true source of information, Wikipedia. (Yes, I know Wikipedia isn’t always 100% correct.)

“Domestic chickens are not capable of long distance flight, although lighter birds are generally capable of flying for short distances, such as over fences or into trees (where they would naturally roost).”

Hu. Wow. So now you know. I’m going to assume those chickens from the movie Chicken Run were probably heavier birds.

Wait, heavier birds? Chickens are just chickens, right? Yeah, yeah. Apparently not. There are hundreds of chicken breeds in existence! They come in sorts of all shapes, sizes, feathers, and lay different types of eggs too! (More egg info here.)

Hm, but what about those tasty birds we use to breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

“Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens. Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than 6 weeks to reach slaughter size. A free range or organic meat chicken will usually be slaughtered at about 14 weeks of age.” (Wikipedia)

Hu, well, that’s good to know. I’ve always just considered chickens to be chickens. But from now on we shall give honor to our dear “Broiler Chickens”! But wait… what’s the difference between a free range or an organic meat chicken? To answer that question, we’re going to delve back into a little egg talk. But only for a moment!

Egguversity

From the Paula Deen Test Kitchen.

• Conventional - hens live in stacked cages, usually four to eight chickens to a cage with at least 67 square inches of floor space per chicken
• Cage Free - hens live on the floor of a barn rather than outdoors or in a cage
• Free Range - hens live outdoors or have limited access to the outdoors
• Organic - hens are fed vegetables grown without any antibiotics, growth horomones, or commercial fertilizers
• Omega 3 - hens are fed a diet containing ground flaxseed, which produces eggs containing slightly more polyunsaturated fatty acids

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“Chickens are sometimes kept as pets and can be tamed by hand feeding, but roosters can sometimes become aggressive and noisy, although aggression can be curbed with proper handling. Some have advised against keeping them around very young children. Certain breeds, however, such as silkies and many bantam varieties are generally docile and are often recommended as good pets around children with disabilities. Some people find chickens’ behaviour entertaining and educational.” (Thanks again, Wikipedia!)

Now, a little part of me can imagine having a pet chicken running around in my backyard. For a moment, until the whole… responsibility thing kicks in and I realize the hawks would likely whisk it away within a week. But having chickens as “useful” pets has really become a trendy fad. I recall visiting my mother a while back and getting to have the most delicious eggs for breakfast. Color me surprised when I realized they were from one of her neighbor’s chickens.

Interested in raising your own chickens? The best site I’ve found to get started is here. If you live close to me, then the local “Chickens are pets!” group is the Cobb County Backyard Chickens Alliance. It’s very important to check the rules in your local area! Cobb County has regulations that require two acres or more of land to raise poultry and livestock.

Personally, I suppose I would feel a little odd having a pet chicken while still eating chicken… Sort of like having the baby lamb. Once you raise it, name it, and give it a personality, you just don’t want to eat it.

Anywho, I think I’ve bored you with enough chicken data! Not sure what I’ll blog about next, but I swear I’ll try to make it a little more exciting. Like … attack of the Chickenstein or something!