Why did chickens evolve flightless?

Question

And why exactly can't they fly? Too bulky? They can flap/hover a few feet off the ground...

Answer 1

The fact chickens can't fly very well (although they can fly in very short spurts, and wild chickens can fly better than domestic chickens) is largely due to human interference. We want as much breast meat as possible on the birds, so they have been bred deliberately with that in mind.

Answer 2

The can't fly because their bodies are too fat and the wings are too small and not the right shape for steady, level flight. Also, they're tails are not vaulted and not built for flight/maneuvering. Their legs are thick, and sturdy and built for scratching in dirt, and walking, not flying. That is partly due to the fact that most domestic chickens have been bred over hundreds of years for their egg-laying ability, meat, and cockfighting abilities, looks and not their natural ability to escape from predators (because they are domesticated, they are protected by their human owners). Although the ancestor of the chicken, the jungle fowl, also does not fly, it probably flies a lot better than most domestics. Another contributing factor is that a chicken's diet consists of things that are on the ground, such as plants, grass, seeds, bugs, etc. Except for flying up to perch in a safe place at night, they do not need to be able to fly far.

As an added note, there are tons of other species of birds that lack the flying ability, pheasants, quail, turkey, ostriches, and megapodes to name a few. So far, from DNA testing scientists have done, it is thought that the closest living relative to the Tyranosaurus Rex is the chicken, which gives you something else to think about too...

Answer 3

Chickens can fly. Mine flew when they were pullets and cockerals, before they were full-sized. They can still fly, just not as high.

It's because of the desity of their chests in relation to their wings. They were selectivly bred for food production, so they have become what we know as domestic chickens through that whole process. They didn't evolve that way, humans bred them to be like that.

I've been looking into getting some Game Hens and Guinea Fowl. These can both fly, and they're generally thought to be ancestors of chickens.

Answer 4

Actually we bred them that way. Only fryers (bird bred for meat) can not fly. egg laying breeds still can as can dual purpose breeds (though not as high).

What people do not realize is that this is EVOLUTION! It is man made and therefore sometimes considered artificial but we (humans) became the selective agent giving larger bodied flightless birds a reproductive advantage by breeding them.

Answer 5

Chickens were bred for food production. So, farmers selected chickens that were afraid of heights to prevent them from flying away to protect their flocks of chicks.

Answer 6

I have chickens that fly. They roost in the trees.
Many have been bread to get big and not to fly. not a natural thing but man created.

Answer 7

the are desedant of jungle fowl that did not have to fly very far to exscape and moderan fowl has been breed for larger breast for the meat