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Chicken Facts for Kids 🐔

Chickens are friendly farm birds that cluck, scratch and lay eggs. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird! Let's peck into some egg-cellent chicken facts!

🐔 Chicken quick facts

Animal type
Bird
Home
Farms and backyards all over the world
Food
Seeds, grains, bugs, worms and plants
Size
Most are about 16 to 28 inches (40 to 70 cm) tall
Life span
About 5 to 10 years

25 Chicken Facts for Kids

  1. There are more chickens in the world than any other kind of bird.
  2. A female chicken is called a hen, and a male chicken is called a rooster.
  3. Baby chickens are called chicks.
  4. Chickens came from a wild bird called the red junglefowl in Asia.
  5. Chickens are distant relatives of dinosaurs, like the T. rex!
  6. Hens can lay eggs without a rooster, but those eggs won't hatch into chicks.
  7. Many hens lay about one egg a day.
  8. Egg shells can be white, brown, blue or green, depending on the breed.
  9. A chick takes about 21 days to hatch from its egg.
  10. Chicks use a tiny bump on their beaks called an egg tooth to break out of the shell.
  11. A mother hen clucks to her eggs, and the chicks can peep back from inside the shell.
  12. Roosters crow in the morning, but they also crow at other times of the day.
  13. Chickens can make dozens of different sounds to talk with each other.
  14. Chickens have a 'pecking order,' which is a ranking of who is in charge of the flock.
  15. Chickens can fly a little, but only short distances.
  16. Chickens love dust baths! Rolling in dirt helps keep their feathers clean and bugs away.
  17. Chickens are omnivores and eat seeds, grains, insects, worms and plants.
  18. Chickens don't have teeth. They swallow small stones that help grind food in their gizzard.
  19. Chickens can see more colors than people can.
  20. Chickens can recognize many other chickens and people.
  21. The red part on top of a chicken's head is called a comb.
  22. The red flaps under a chicken's beak are called wattles.
  23. Silkie chickens have fluffy feathers that feel like fur.
  24. Some chickens like to be petted and can be very friendly pets.
  25. Chickens sleep on perches called roosts and tuck their heads under their wings.

Questions kids ask about chickens

What is a baby chicken called?

A baby chicken is called a chick. A mother chicken is a hen and a father chicken is a rooster.

How long does it take a chicken egg to hatch?

A chicken egg takes about 21 days to hatch when it is kept warm by a hen or an incubator.

Can chickens fly?

Chickens can fly a little, usually just short hops up onto fences or perches.

Are chickens related to dinosaurs?

Yes! Birds, including chickens, evolved from small feathered dinosaurs.

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