Have you ever stopped to wonder why chickens have wings? Yes, they flap their wings now and then, but they don’t really fly or seem to need them. These birds have lived among humans but we don’t see chickens flying all over the place, so why do chickens have wings? This article looks into is 

Chickens have wings for safety, mating, balancing, guarding, and caring for baby chicks. Their wings extend down to protect baby chicks from harm. The wings are also used during mating rituals. Wings also provide balance to chickens.  

Why do chickens have wings? 5 reasons why chickens have wings 

Chickens are known as flightless birds. They are more known for their ability to produce meat and eggs than their ability to fly. The most helpful use of their wings seems to be chicken wing meals.

We know that these birds do not use their wings to fly as other birds do, but these wings have much more use than flying, these include: 

To fly, sort of: 

Chickens aren’t totally flightless birds, they actually have the ability to fly, but unfortunately, they aren’t very good at flying. A chicken can fly but only for a few seconds.

Because these birds have been bred by humans to produce either meat or eggs, their bodies have evolved to not have wings large enough to carry them in flight.

Birds that can fly have large wings and light bodies, chickens have the opposite. Because of this, their wings are not able to produce enough lift for the bird to fly over long distances 

To escape predators:

Chickens aren’t able to defend themselves that well against predators. If a predator tries to attack a chicken the predator will quickly dig into the chicken’s body with its sharp claws and teeth.

The only defense that a chicken would have against a predator is by getting away before the animal can catch the bird. Chickens will use their wings to help them jump from one place to another and out of reach of the predator.

This burst of flight as well as the jumping helps them stay safe 

Balance: 

Chickens are symmetrical, this helps them maintain balance and prevents the birds from falling over. If a chicken were to have one wing cut off then the bird would not be able to balance correctly. Having two equal wings keeps the bird upright.

This balance is also helpful for roosters who get into confrontations. A bird must be in balance in order to get the best striking angles. 

To protect their young: 

A chicken’s wings may not be large enough to allow the bird to fly over long distances but they are certainly large enough to protect a baby bird. If the birds are in danger, the adult bird will shield the baby bird from predators with its wing.

The adult bird will also keep the baby bird between its legs to keep them safe

Used in a mating dance: 

A rooster needs to impress a hen in order to get her to mate with him, he will perform a wing dance to win her favor. The rooster will do this by fanning its wings in an attractive and romantic way which piques the interest of the hen.

After this, he will proceed to circle the hen while his wings are dropped to the ground. This dance can also be called wing flicking or a wing drag. 

Why are chickens so bad at flying?

If chickens use their wings for so many things, even to fly away from predators and get to their roosts, why aren’t they better at flying? The answer to this question is so contradictory it’s almost bizarre.

Chickens have considerably large powerful wing muscles that form their chests. These powerful muscles should, in theory, make them excellent at flying, but, that’s not quite the case.

Their large wing muscles are very heavy making it difficult and tiring to gain altitude and maintain flight. So bigger, better, flying muscles are what stops them from flying.

There are some who claim that humans are to blame for chickens being so bad at flying.

It has been noted that the numerous crossbreedings we humans have done to the red jungle fowl over the years to increase its meat content, plus, our breeding activities, have stopped their evolution.

By doing so we’ve bred the bird to be ravenous eaters, promoted their meaty chest-wing muscles making chickens too heavy to sustain flight, so much so that some chicken won’t even bother trying.

Are some chicks better at flying than others?

Some breeds of chickens, as well as young chicks, are better at flying than other chickens.

Flying is a physically draining task for birds. They must move their wings very quickly to gain flight, as well as maintain the pressure of using their wings to sustain the weight of their bodies while in the air.

Smaller-bodied birds are better fast fliers. Even large soaring birds like eagles and owls have small bodies in ratio to their wingspan.

Baby chicks and smaller breeds of chickens can manage much better flying, even flying farther and faster than larger grown chickens simply because of their body size to wing ratio.

Do hens have wings?

Yes, hens do have wings. Hens are female chickens and they use their wings to guide, protect and comfort baby chickens as they explore and move about. Hens are also the most common type of chicken sold for meat.

Will my back yard chicken fly away?

While they aren’t excellent at flying, if given the chance, provoked, neglected or curious they will attempt to fly over low fences. The height of the fence is a factor because chickens usually don’t gain much height when flying.

Most poultry farmers keep chickens in coops with the occasional daily free-roaming. However, chickens aren’t well motivated to fly away if you’re providing a good amount of feed, water, space, and comfort. Some owners clip their wings to prevent them from flying off

Conclusion

In conclusion, chickens may be bad at flying but that’s not the only reason they need their wings.

Their wings are used for mating, balancing, guarding, and caring for baby chicks. Though chickens have large, powerful flight muscles the size of those muscles makes them heavy and hard to maintain flight.

Smaller chickens fly much better thus, poultry farmers tend to build coops to keep them in. A happy, comfy chicken will never leave.

If you’re interested in chickens you may also be interested in these articles: why do chickens wag their tails, when do chickens start laying eggs after winter, why do chickens eat feathers, how to get chickens to sleep on the roost, how to get chickens to lay bigger eggs, why do chickens cluck, click the links to read more.