Can Chickens Fly? (All You Need To Know)

Modern chickens are likely descended from the Southeast Asian red jungle fowl, but have been domesticated for about 8,000 years. Chickens, as many people are familiar with today, were raised for their eggs and meat.

Still, chickens are intelligent and intuitive birds, and many breeds retain their wild instincts. Here, we want to answer a question: Can chickens fly?

Most chicken breeds are capable of flight unless their wings are clipped. However, it’s fair to say that most breeds don’t fly very well. Most chickens are good flyers and can jump over fences or fly over fences or gardens, but not for more than a few seconds.

There are exceptions to this rule. For example, game chicken breeds like Old English Game and American Game Fowl are fairly strong flyers, as are Burger, Sumatra, and Araucaria, just to name a few.

Also, lighter bantams tend to be better flyers than heavier breeds because they are light and easy to take off.

Other heavy breeds barely fly, and some, such as silkies, don’t fly at all. Silkies have no flight feathers. Heavy breeds like Orpingtons are too heavy to take off!

Read on to discover more facts about the flight abilities of these ubiquitous birds!

Most chicken breeds can fly, but only for a short time

What type of chicken can fly?

Most breeds of chicken can fly, but most do not fly well. However, most breeds can take off from the ground and flap their wings to jump small fences or escape threats.

Chickens that are free range or game tend to be better flyers because they have to roam in a larger environment. Some hardy flying species prefer to roost in trees and buildings rather than on the floor.

Some chicken breeds that can fly well include:

• Araucaria
• Sumatra
• Game breeds, including jungle fowl, Old English and American game
• red star
• Japanese bantam
• hamburger
• duke of belgium
• Cubarayas
• Wilshire
• phoenix
• spitzhauben
• Brabant
• Norway
• polishing

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Most bantam and light chicken breeds are also confident in flight.

Some of these breeds certainly challenge the notion that “chickens can’t fly.”

For example, Sumatran chickens have been known to fly from island to island, while Japanese bantams are very confident fliers and will happily fly for fun.

It’s worth pointing out that chickens often lose their desire and instinct to fly. Young chickens tend to fly more, probably out of curiosity.

However, once they reach adulthood, many chickens simply choose not to fly, nor have any interest in flying. After all, chickens are basically ground-dwelling birds that don’t need to fly to survive.

Chicken breeders usually don’t need to clip wings unless the chickens have a habit of running away.

Closeup of two hamburger hens

What kind of chicken can’t fly?

Most chickens are not strong or confident fliers, but nearly every breed can fly short distances. Even by chicken standards, a few breeds aren’t great at flying — or rarely choose to fly.

They include:

• Orpington
• silky chicken
• incoming flight
• plymouth rock
• Australian

For example, the Orpington is so heavy – weighing 4.5kg – that it simply doesn’t have the strength to take off and maintain flight. They can really only jump a foot or two off the floor.

The same goes for the Australorps and Plymouth Rocks. Silkies have unusually fluffy feathers and don’t actually have any flight feathers, making them nearly impossible to fly.

Whether a chicken chooses to fly depends on the individual and breed. Some chickens like to take their chances on flying – even if they’re not very good at it! So, regardless of the breed, it’s important to keep an eye on your chickens to see if they might escape the pen.

Closeup of Orpington Chicken

How far can a chicken fly?

Some of the strong flying chickens listed above can fly hundreds of meters without stopping, but most of them can’t fly far at all.

For example, Old English game flies regularly if roaming within the free range of its environment, and Sumatra is known to fly from island to island.

There are 5 species of original Jungle Chicken, all of which can fly very well. Many of these chickens perch in trees to avoid predators.

However, most chicken breeds can only fly a few meters at most. For example, heavy spawning breeds such as Orpingtons and Plymouth Rocks can only really jump to a height of around 4 to 6 feet.

Lohman-Brown chicken breed

How fast does the chicken fly?

Some chicken farmers and breeders have time-tested their chickens to see how fast they can go — the top speed for flying chickens seems to be somewhere between 7 and 12 mph.

Chickens can also run very fast, reaching top speeds of around 10 mph. This is faster than average – around 7-8pm! A chicken might only be able to sustain that pace for a second or two, though!

How high can a chicken fly?

Chickens are not capable of high-altitude flight. In fact, most breeds can only reach weight 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) off the ground. However, some species perch on trees and rafters above that height.

Hardy flying chickens are definitely capable of reaching heights of over 6 feet. Chicken farmers have reported their free-range chickens flying over hills and trees. This is the exception rather than the rule – most chickens have limited ability to fly.

Wyandotte hen jumping/flying to the top of the coop

How long can a chicken fly?

Given how many breeds there are, it’s hard to pinpoint a precise figure for how long a chicken can fly.

According to some Internet sources, the longest flight recorded for a Modern Chicken was 13 seconds at a distance of just over three hundred feet. However, some flight-capable breeds seem to be able to fly for longer periods of time.

Why do chickens have wings if they can’t fly?

Chickens are descended from jungle fowl, a group of five chicken-like birds that live in Asia and Oceania. Jungle chickens are undoubtedly capable of flight and are not considered flightless birds.

Chickens have been selectively bred to become what they are today — but they’re still not flightless birds. Almost all chickens can fly, even if only for a few seconds. That’s still a few seconds more than true flightless birds like ostriches, emus, kiwis, and cassowaries!

However, some breeds have smaller or no flight feathers. An example is the silkie, whose fluffy feathers mean it can barely fly because it has no flight feathers!

Chicken keepers often clip their wings to ensure they cannot escape the pen, but this is not always necessary as many chickens simply choose not to fly because they are not interested in flying.

But ultimately, from an evolutionary and biological standpoint, all chickens have wings, and most can fly.

silky chicken in the grass

At what age can a chick fly?

Some chicks learn to fly after a few days, at which point they begin flapping their wings to propel themselves. After a few weeks, the chicks are usually a few feet off the ground.

Chicks usually fly more than adults. But, after a while, they lose the desire to fly. Chickens mostly live and forage on the ground, so they are not naturally strong flyers.

After a while, they choose not to fly, not because they can’t fly, but because they don’t want to or need to.

chicks in flight

Do chickens migrate?

Modern chickens do not migrate and spend most of their time on the ground. Free-range chickens do disperse throughout their range, but are very sedentary.

Wild jungle chickens are known not to migrate, but to disperse throughout their habitat. However, these land-dwelling birds do not fly long distances.

Can chickens swim?

Chickens can swim, and some people love it. Providing water to chickens allows them to drink, bathe, and even swim with ease.

flying chicken

Why can’t domesticated chickens fly?

It’s not entirely fair to say chickens can’t fly, but many breeds have poor flight abilities.

Chickens originated from jungle fowl, and although they are ground-dwelling birds, they certainly have the ability to fly. Domestic chickens are raised for their meat and eggs, and they are often larger and heavier now than they were hundreds of years ago.

This added weight makes it harder for chickens to take off and fly, especially for the heaviest breeds. Additionally, inbreeding has caused some chickens to lose their flight feathers.

How can I stop my chicken from flying?

As the movie “Chicken Run” demonstrates, it is very easy to prevent most breeds of chickens from escaping from their pens!

Many normal domestic chickens don’t fly very well and a 4 to 6 foot fence should keep them from escaping. However, some chickens have a greater appetite for flying and jumping, especially those bred for game or exhibition purposes.

If you find that your chickens keep trying to escape, consider clipping their wings.