Yes, Chickens Can Swim! Discover 4 Facts About These Surprising Swimmers

It’s no secret that chickens love crossing roads, but what about a body of water? Whether you are just curious or happen to own your own birds, knowing if it’s safe, or even possible, for chickens to swim can be important. Well, wonder no longer since we will officially be getting to the bottom of it. Can chickens swim? Let’s find out and learn some interesting facts about chickens and their propensity for water!

Can Chickens Swim?

Can chickens swim? Yes, chickens can swim quite well, actually!

You may think that chickens are only good for laying eggs or ending up on your dinner plate, but these birds have some surprising abilities that you may not know about. One of them is swimming! Chickens can swim, and they actually enjoy it most of the time. That being said, however, they are not natural-born swimmers like ducks or geese, and they don’t have waterproof feathers or webbed feet. Still, they can float on water and paddle with their wings for a while without much trouble at all.

That being said, swimming is not something that chickens do every day, and it’s not without risks. Chickens need to be supervised when they are in water, and they should only swim in shallow pools or tubs. If they get too wet or cold, they can become sick or even drown. For anyone with chickens, the process to get them used to water should be slow and in a really safe environment.

4 Facts About Chickens and their Swimming Habits

1. Chickens Don’t Have Waterproof Feathers

Chickens are not designed like aquatic birds, with one of the clear examples being that their feathers are not waterproof. Unlike ducks and geese, which have a special gland near their tails that produces oil, chickens do not have this gland. They also do not have hooks on their feathers that help them stick together and form a watertight barrier. When they go in the water, their feathers can become soaked, requiring them to dry them out over time. Waterproof feathers are important for birds that live in wet environments because they help them stay warm and dry, and without those special feathers, chickens struggle to do just that.

2. Chickens Don’t Have Webbed Feet

Another reason that chickens are clearly not designed for water is their feet. Chickens do not have webbed feet, essentially feet that have skin or membrane connecting the toes, forming a paddle-like shape. Many birds that live in or near water have webbed feet, such as ducks, geese, pelicans, and gulls, giving them a huge evolutionary advantage when it comes to propelling themselves through the water. Chickens, on the other hand, have separate toes with claws. Their feet are specialized for scratching the ground and perching on branches. They don’t need webbed feet because they rarely swim or walk on wet terrain.

3. Chickens Can Swim for Around 10-15 Minutes

Chickens aren’t the best when it comes to distance swimming. If they fall into some water, they generally don’t have a problem getting out, but sustained periods of swimming can be really tough for them. Some resources show that chickens can really only swim for 10-15 minutes at a time before tiring out. The extra effort it takes them to swim, combined with the fact that their feathers aren’t waterproof, really puts a limit on how far they can travel in one go. Knowing that, it’s really important to keep chickens away from deep dropoffs of water that they aren’t able to escape from.

4. Chickens are Slightly Buoyant!

Chickens are somewhat buoyant, which means they can float on water for a while. This is because they have air sacs in their bodies that help them breathe and regulate their temperature. These air sacs also make them lighter than water, so they don’t sink right away. However, chickens are not very good at staying buoyant for long. As we’ve learned over the past few facts, the real issue for chickens is their feathers. When the lack of waterproofing starts to show, their feathers can absorb water and end up making them heavier, ultimately rendering them too heavy to float.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jesper Frehr/Shutterstock.com