When looking at chickens, have you ever think about how well they can swim? Wait. Firstly can chickens swim? That may something you’re thinking. Well, yes they can. Although not proficiently like the ducks, but chickens do can swim. If you put them in the pool, you will soon see how they start swimming.
This is maybe a surprising fact about the chickens. After all, people always think that it’s impossible for them to swim. But then, the raising question is how well can chickens swim? If you want to know the answer, let’s see some facts about the chickens and their ability to swim.
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Can Chickens Swim? Here the Facts
1. The Anatomy of Chickens Do Not Suit For Swim
Although chickens can swim if the shove comes to push, usually they tend to do not. The reason is simple. Chicken’s body structure is not meant to swim. They are different from the ducks, the same bird who love swimming. The ducks have all the parts that make them possible to swim. Waterproof feathers and webbed feet are features in the ducks that make them be able to swim gracefully in the water.
On the other hand, the chickens do not have the same feature. They don’t have webbed feet or waterproof feathers. So, even if they can swim, because their feathers aren’t waterproof soon they will get wet and heavy. As a result, they will sink.
2. Have An Innate Ability to Swim
As you wonder can chickens swim, you may be questioning how can they floating on the water safely without the features of swimming. Actually, the chickens have an innate ability to swim. This ability reside within them as a part of the survival system. With this ability, when they got into the pool or water, automatically they will swim to survive. But this is just last for a couple of times.
As the chickens are not built for a swim, as the feather getting wet they will surely sink down. So when you saw them fall into the pond, go help them before they sink. Just because they can swim quite well, you can’t leave them alone in the pool or water.
3. Water Is Not Their Natural Habitat
The chickens do can swim, but their natural habitat is not the water. They do not live in the water just like the ducks. For the chickens, water or pool is used to bath or play. That is why, when you want to put them in the water pool, put them in a shallow pool. And do not forget to supervise them. If not, who knows when their feathers will get wet and drown.
4. Chicks Can Not Swim
If there is a question about can chickens swim, without a doubt, the answer is they can. But it can’t be applied to baby chickens. Although the chickens can swim well when the needs arise, the chicks can not do the same.
If you put them in buckets of water, like a stone the chicks will just drown. As a result, they will lose their life. That’s why when you have the chicks, supervise them so they don’t go near a pond or a pool. Because unlike the chickens these chicks yet developed the ability to swim.
5. Panic Will Influence Their Ability to Swim
Now you know that chickens can swim well despite not having webbed feet or waterproof feathers. But how well they can swim actually depending on the feeling of panic. If the chickens feel panic, they will find themselves unable or hard to float. On the opposite, if they feel calm and not too panic, they can swim just fine.
In this aspect, the chickens sound similar to humans. When faced with unfamiliar situations or when facing a problem, feeling panic will affect a human’s judgment. So, besides the initial ability to swim and the anatomy of their body, how well they swim depending on how big the panic they feel.
Nowadays question about this is no longer become debatable like in the past. That’s precisely because there are many proofs that chickens can be floating in the water when they need to. So, if you want to keep a chicken as your pet, you should understand this. And even if you want to take your chickens at the pool, make sure it is not too deep. And do not forget to supervise them.
