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Despite their wide wings, chickens cannot fly in the same way as other birds. Surely you've wondered why this happens.
In fact, it's easy to explain why chickens are so bad at flying: it's related to their physiognomy. if you would like to know because chicken doesn't fly, continue reading this article by PeritoAnimal.
Chickens don't fly?
Chickens are too heavy for their wing size. Their muscles are too heavy which makes it very difficult to take off for the flight.
THE wild chicken (gallus gallus), a bird originating in India, China and Southeast Asia is the closest ancestor we have to the modern or domestic chicken (gallus gallus domesticus) domesticated for over 8 thousand years. Unlike the wild chicken, which can fly short distances, the domestic hen can barely get up from the ground. For this reason, we can say that the chicken does not fly because its ancestor was not a great flyer either. However, Man's intervention only made things worse for the chicken in this regard.
It was through the genetic selection that man was selecting the chickens as they are today, in order to fill more plates. Thus, we can say that chickens are not a natural species, as they are not what they are today through natural selection, but due to "artificial selection" made by Man. In the case of "meat chickens" they were selected not for what is most beneficial to them but for having more muscle, as this means more meat. This overweight chickens and their very rapid growth not only prevent them from flying, but there are also many associated problems, such as joint and foot problems.
sometimes the chickens, because they are lighter, they manage to have a weight ratio more suited to the size of the wings, which allows them to fly short distances. However, the distance and height they can fly are so small that it's easy to keep them with a small fence so they don't escape.
In the image, you can see the evolution of meat chicken over the years, through genetic selection, selected in order to increase its growth in less time and with less food.
Laying hen fly?
On the other hand, the laying hens, were not selected to have more muscles like the ones in the previous image, but to give more eggs. Laying hens can reach by 300 eggs a year, unlike the wild hen that lays between 12 to 20 eggs per year.
Although this selection does not significantly affect the flight capacity of these hens (they can take off and fly short distances) it has other associated problems, such as the loss of calcium from overproduction of eggs that is often associated with lack of exercise due to exploration. of these animals, in spaces that do not allow them to move as they should.
chickens are smart
Although they have limited flight capabilities, chickens have many attributes that most people are unaware of. They are very intelligent animals with logical thinking ability, as we told you in our article with names of chickens.
The personality of the chickens, their behavior and the fact that they are very sociable animals, make more and more people start to look at these beings in another way. Many people even have chickens as a pet and some chickens even relate to animals of other species, being good friends!
Do you have a chicken that is sociable with beings of other species? Share with us images in the comments!
