Do Chickens Swim?

[supdude]

it rained real hard this morning and my backyard flooded with a few inches of water, the chickens hopped up into my little coop wich is about 6 inches off the ground and were stranded there, cluking and unwilling to hop into the few inches of water. so do chickens swim? or are they afraid of water

 

[Cheryl]

I'm pretty sure they would drown if stuck in water....

 

[sunbury chick]

You guys won't believe this,I wouldn't have if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,But chickens can swim if they have to!Our dog is on an invisible fence,can only go so far,but this day ,for some reason the chickens tested him .Usually,they only come so far and they know it's not safe to go any farther.This day they went too far.The dog almost got them ,but they jumped in the pond and swam to the other side(at that end of the pond it is only about 15 ft wide.)It was pure mayhem, they looked like drowned rats,they survived though.They learned their lesson ,they don't go near the dogs line now.It was funny after the whole thing was over.....So yes, chickens can swim a short distance....

 

[angelmarie]

no from what i heard except for the last post

they can't swim. I've heard it too many times where chickens and ducks are raised together and the duck goes swimming and the chicken follows him thinking its a duck and drowns. Luckly for me though my chickie was smart enough to know it doesn't belong in the water. Thats why when i give my silkies baths i always have to be there, i can't leave them for the slight chance they'll drown. It's resulted in a few burnt dinners lol

 

[sunbury chick]

Well, These were grown chickens and it was sink or swim, I think they were so scared they flew half way across

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Chickens can not swim , their feathers become water logged and they drown.....

 

[sunbury chick]

Well then, I have the Mark Spitz of chickens,cause they did swim a little ways....

 

[Clark101]

Chickens nevertheless are not well developed to swim:

• No webbed feet;
• Feathers are not water-resistant;
• Lack the capability to 'right' themselves in water;

Just since chickens aren't developed to swim does not indicate they can't attempt!

Chickens can paddle rather well without webbed feet. However, undoubtedly the strokes are not as effective as ducks.

 

[Cheese_Quackers]

it rained real hard this morning and my backyard flooded with a few inches of water, the chickens hopped up into my little coop wich is about 6 inches off the ground and were stranded there, cluking and unwilling to hop into the few inches of water. so do chickens swim? or are they afraid of water

They can swim but not for long.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Can you walk on water? Chances are, you can make it appear that you can for a few running steps.

Chicks are the same. If they move their feet really fast, flap really hard, and its particularly shallow, they can get across very small bodies of water if sufficiently motivated.

It isn't "swimming", its gravity needing time to build up the speed at which we fall.