Who cares why the chicken crossed the road? The real question is, can they fly? by ES

Who cares why the chicken crossed the road? The real question is, can they fly? 

This is a topic even chicken owners disagree about. Research has been done to prove that 88% of chickens can survive falling off the highest mountain in Africa, Mount KIlimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet tall, so it’s pretty impressive that a 10 pound bird can survive the fall, which brings me back to my point, how is this possible? Chickens, though unable to fly upwards steadily, are able to glide long distances by flapping their wings. 

The reason these small birds can survive falling from heights of 20,000 feet is because flapping their wings helps slow their fall and since they are so small, it acts almost like a parachute. The average chicken can fly 40 or 50 feet forward though, there have been cases where chickens have flown a lot further. The record for feet glided by a chicken straight forward was just over 300 hundred feet in about 13 seconds! Some lighter breeds of chickens can jump off the ground and flap their wings just enough to get over a 6 foot fence.

Now, you may be wondering, aren't chicken owners concerned that their chickens will fly over the fence and get away? Even though that’s a great question it has a very simple answer. Chickens know where their home is and don’t want to leave it. This is because they have access to food, water, and shelter whereas, out in the wilderness they have to fight for these necessities and trust me they know about predators! The reason chickens can’t just fly onto a branch or on your roof is because their wings are too small! Chickens can weigh between 5-10 pounds when fully grown. And their flight muscles are too big and heavy. Flight muscles are in the same area shoulders are on you. Overall, chickens can’t really fly, they fall with style!