Chicken

For other uses, see Chicken (disambiguation).
"Baby Chicken" redirects here. For the Minecraft Dungeons mob, see MCD:Baby Chicken.
"Duck" redirects here. For the add-on mob, see Minecon 2018 New Entity Sample. For the Minecraft Dungeons mob, see MCD:Duck.
Chicken

Chicken JE2 BE2.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Adult

Baby Chicken JE2 BE2.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Baby

Cold Chicken.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Adult

Baby Cold Chicken.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Baby

Warm Chicken.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Adult

Baby Warm Chicken.png: Infobox image for Chicken the entity in Minecraft

Baby

Invicon Chicken Spawn Egg.png: Inventory sprite for Chicken Spawn Egg in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Chicken Spawn Egg
Health points

4HP♥♥

Behavior

Passive

Mob type

Animal

Hitbox size

In Java Edition:
Adult:
Height: 0.7 blocks
Width: 0.4 blocks
Baby:
Height: 0.35 blocks
Width: 0.2 blocks
In Bedrock Edition:
Adult:
Height: 0.8 blocks
Width: 0.6 blocks
Baby:
Height: 0.4 blocks
Width: 0.3 blocks

Speed

0.25

Spawn
Usable items

A chicken is a passive mob found in most grassy biomes, and the main source of raw chicken, feathers and eggs. They have three variants based on the temperature of the biome they spawn in.

Spawning

Chickens spawn naturally in the Overworld in most grassy biomes except snowy plains, meadows, cherry groves, mangrove swamps, and pale gardens.

Each chicken has a 5% chance of spawning as a baby.

In Java Edition, chickens spawn in groups of 4 on grass blocks at a light level of 9 or higher. Individual chickens rarely may spawn after world generation.

In Bedrock Edition, chickens spawn in groups of 2-4 on grass blocks at a light level of 7 or higher. Individuals regularly spawn after world generation.

In Java Edition, chickens are more common in sparse jungles.

In Java Edition, chickens may be found in the Nether when a baby zombified piglin spawns as a chicken jockey. This can also happen with every other baby variant of the zombie.

Chicken spawns in:
Category: CreatureJava EditionBedrock Edition
Spawn areaSpawn weightSpawn ChanceGroup sizeSpawn weightGroup size
Sparse Jungle205834.48%4102–4
Old Growth Birch Forest104025%4102–4
Dark Forest104025%4102–4
Birch Forest104025%4102–4
Flower Forest104422.73%4102–4
Windswept Gravelly Hills104522.22%4102–4
Forest104522.22%4102–4
Windswept Hills104522.22%4102–4
Windswept Forest104522.22%4102–4
Jungle209121.98%4102–4
Sunflower Plains104621.74%4102–4
Badlands104621.74%4102–4
Plains104621.74%4102–4
Eroded Badlands104621.74%4102–4
Wooded Badlands104820.83%4102–4
Swamp105020%4102–4
Savanna105219.23%4104
Windswept Savanna105219.23%4102–4
Snowy Taiga106016.67%4102–4
Taiga106016.67%4102–4
Old Growth Spruce Taiga106016.67%4102–4
Old Growth Pine Taiga106016.67%4102–4
Savanna Plateau106814.71%4102–4
Bamboo Jungle2017011.76%4102–4

Variants

"Chicken variant" redirects here. For the definition of chicken variants in data packs, see Mob variant definitions § Chicken.

Chickens have 3 variants: temperate, cold, and warm. The variant is determined by the biome the chicken spawns in.

Natural spawning
EntitySprite temperate-chicken.png: Sprite image for temperate-chicken in Minecraft Temperate EntitySprite warm-chicken.png: Sprite image for warm-chicken in Minecraft Warm EntitySprite cold-chicken.png: Sprite image for cold-chicken in Minecraft Cold
EntitySprite warm-chicken.png: Sprite image for warm-chicken in Minecraft Warm EntitySprite cold-chicken.png: Sprite image for cold-chicken in Minecraft Cold
  1. When a chicken is spawned as part of a chicken jockey, or summoned using a spawn egg or commands.

If a chicken is spawned via spawn egg, command or jockey in any biome not listed, a temperate chicken is spawned.

Chicken jockey

Java Edition

Main article: Chicken Jockey

All baby zombie variants and baby zombified piglins have a 5% chance to check for an existing chicken within a 10×6×10 box centered on the baby's spawn location and spawn riding one of those chickens if there are any. If it fails that 5% chance, there is an additional 5% chance of the baby zombie spawning mounted on a new adult chicken. If a jockey spawns riding a new chicken, the variant of the chicken depends on the biome it spawns in.

Because a baby zombie occurs from 5% of zombie spawns, the chicken jockey spawns consist of 0.2375% of all zombie spawns in a chicken-free environment; if chickens are present, the chance increases to 0.4875%. A chicken jockey can also be spawned by using the following command:

/summon minecraft:chicken ~ ~ ~ {IsChickenJockey:1b,Passengers:[{id:"minecraft:zombie",IsBaby:1b}]}

Chicken jockeys may spawn with items equipped. Baby zombified piglin versions of the chicken jockey always wield a golden sword. Harming or killing the chicken does not cause the zombified piglin to attack.

Bedrock Edition

Baby zombie jockeys do not spawn riding chickens, but check for nearby adult chickens to mount prior to attacking a player, wandering trader, adult villager, snow golem, or iron golem.

Drops

Adult chickens that were not part of chicken jockeys lay an egg every five to ten minutes.

Breeding

1–7XP experience orbs upon a successful breeding.

On death

Java Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1100.00%1.001–2100.00%1.501–3100.00%2.001–4100.00%2.50
Cooked Chicken[B]1100.00%1.001–2100.00%1.501–3100.00%2.001–4100.00%2.50
Feather0–266.67%1.000–383.33%1.500–491.67%2.000–594.44%2.50

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1111–21321–3121–4152
Cooked Chicken[B]1111–21321–3121–4152
Feather0–22310–356320–4111220–5171852

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]11 (100.00%)12 (50.00%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
2012 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)13 (33.33%)
30014 (25.00%)13 (33.33%)
400016 (16.67%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)
Cooked Chicken[B]11 (100.00%)12 (50.00%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
2012 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)13 (33.33%)
30014 (25.00%)13 (33.33%)
400016 (16.67%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)
Feather013 (33.33%)16 (16.67%)112 (8.33%)118 (5.56%)
113 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
213 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)518 (27.78%)
3016 (16.67%)14 (25.00%)518 (27.78%)
400112 (8.33%)16 (16.67%)
5000118 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1.001.502.002.50
Cooked Chicken[B]1.001.502.002.50
Feather1.001.502.002.50

  1. Only when not on fire and not killed with a weapon enchanted with Fire Aspect.
  2. Only when on fire or killed with a weapon enchanted with Fire Aspect.

Bedrock Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1100.00%1.001–2100.00%1.501–3100.00%2.001–4100.00%2.50
Cooked Chicken[B]1100.00%1.001–2100.00%1.501–3100.00%2.001–4100.00%2.50
Feather0–266.67%1.000–366.67%1.330–466.67%1.670–566.67%2.00

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1111–21321–3121–4152
Cooked Chicken[B]1111–21321–3121–4152
Feather0–22310–323430–423530–5232

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]11 (100.00%)12 (50.00%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
2012 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)13 (33.33%)
30014 (25.00%)13 (33.33%)
400016 (16.67%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)
Cooked Chicken[B]11 (100.00%)12 (50.00%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
2012 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)13 (33.33%)
30014 (25.00%)13 (33.33%)
400016 (16.67%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)
Feather013 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)
113 (33.33%)16 (16.67%)112 (8.33%)118 (5.56%)
213 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
3016 (16.67%)14 (25.00%)29 (22.22%)
400112 (8.33%)16 (16.67%)
5000118 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)43 (1.33)53 (1.67)2 (2.00)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Raw Chicken[A]1.001.502.002.50
Cooked Chicken[B]1.001.502.002.50
Feather1.001.331.672.00

  1. Only when not on fire.
  2. Only when on fire.

1–3XP experience orbs are dropped when a chicken is killed by a player or tamed wolf or 10XP if it was part of a chicken jockey.

Killing a baby chicken yields no items or experience.

Behavior

A chicken normally wanders aimlessly when idle. Sometimes they remain in a small area, even if it's just a 1 block space. They follow players holding various seeds within a 6×4×6 cubic area. Baby chickens follow adult chickens.

Chickens following a player holding wheat seeds.

Chickens avoid falling off cliffs (>3.5 blocks). They flap their wings when they are in midair and fall slowly, thus chickens are immune to fall damage.

Chickens can be attached to leads.

When harmed, chickens flee around for a few seconds.

Unlike other mobs, chickens attempt to jump up to climb stairs instead of climbing them normally.[1]

Ocelots, untamed cats‌, and foxes pursue and attack chickens.

While in a loaded chunk, an adult chicken lays an egg every five to ten minutes (6000–12000 ticks), unless it is, or was, a part of a chicken jockey. If the player is close enough to a chicken when it lays an egg, a pop sound is heard.

Chickens can stay underwater for 15 seconds or can swim, visibly flapping their wings and staying on the water surface. While swimming, a chicken needs only one block of air above its head.

Breeding

Main article: Breeding

Chickens follow players holding wheat seeds, beetroot seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, torchflower seeds, or pitcher pods but will stop following when separated from the player by at least 10 blocks‌ / 16 blocks‌. Additionally, baby chickens follow adults.

A player can breed chickens by using seeds. After breeding, a baby chicken spawns and 1–7 experience is generated. The parents cannot be bred again for 5 minutes. The variant of the offspring is inherited from one of the parents and does not depend on the biome they are bred in.

A baby chicken with its parents.

Baby chickens take 24000 ticks (20 minutes) to grow up, but the growth time can be accelerated using seeds. Each use takes 10% off the remaining time to grow up. A baby chicken fed a seed once per second grows up in approximately 48 seconds using 47 seeds.

Baby chickens are smaller than a half-block and can unwillingly pass through openings smaller than a full block, but do not walk through half-block-tall spaces. A baby chicken riding a minecart cannot be hit because it is completely inside the minecart's hitbox.

Eggs

Chickens are the only Overworld mob that can repopulate without breeding. Adult chickens lay eggs every 5-10 minutes and an egg thrown at the ground by a player or a dispenser has a 18 chance of spawning a baby chicken. If a baby chicken spawns from a thrown egg, there is a further 132 chance to spawn three extra baby chickens, or 1256 overall. It is theoretically possible for a stack of 16 eggs to yield 64 chickens if all spawn chances succeed for all eggs.

Different variants of chickens lay different types of eggs:

If the player throws an egg at a glass pane, the baby chicken can spawn on the far side of the pane.

Sounds

Java Edition:
Chickens use the Friendly Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Chicken clucksFriendly MobsRandomlyentity.chicken.ambientsubtitles.entity.chicken.ambient1.00.8-1.2
(Baby: 1.3-1.7)
16
​Chicken diesFriendly MobsWhen a chicken diesentity.chicken.deathsubtitles.entity.chicken.death1.00.8-1.2
(Baby: 1.3-1.7)
16
​Chicken hurtsFriendly MobsWhen a chicken is damagedentity.chicken.hurtsubtitles.entity.chicken.hurt1.00.8-1.2
(Baby: 1.3-1.7)
16
​Chicken plopsFriendly MobsWhen a chicken lays an eggentity.chicken.eggsubtitles.entity.chicken.egg1.00.8-1.216
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a chicken is walkingentity.chicken.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Friendly Creatures‌
Friendly Mobs​
Randomlymob.chicken.say1.00.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly Creatures‌
Friendly Mobs​
When a chicken diesmob.chicken.hurt1.00.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly Creatures‌
Friendly Mobs​
When a chicken is damagedmob.chicken.hurt1.00.8-1.2 (Baby: 1.3-1.7)
Friendly Creatures‌
Friendly Mobs​
When a chicken lays an eggmob.chicken.plop1.00.8-1.2
Friendly Creatures‌
Friendly Mobs​
While a chicken is walkingmob.chicken.step0.251.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tagsTranslation key
EntitySprite chicken.png: Sprite image for chicken in Minecraft Chickenchickendismounts_underwater
fall_damage_immune
entity.minecraft.chicken

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
EntitySprite chicken.png: Sprite image for chicken in Minecraft Chickenchicken10entity.chicken.name

Entity data

Chickens have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Java Edition:

Main article: Entity format
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Entity data
    • Additional fields for mobs that can breed see Template:Nbt inherit/breedable/template
    • Tags common to all entities see Template:Nbt inherit/entity/template
    • Tags common to all mobs see Template:Nbt inherit/mob/template
    • [Int] EggLayTime: Number of ticks until the chicken lays its egg. Laying occurs at 0 and this timer gets reset to a new random value between 6000 and 12000.
    • [Boolean] IsChickenJockey: 1 or 0 (true/false) - Whether or not the chicken is a jockey for a baby zombie. If true, the chicken can naturally despawn, drops 10 experience upon death instead of 1-3 and cannot lay eggs. Baby zombies can still control a ridden chicken even if this is set false.
    • [String] variant: The variant of the chicken.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Chicken variants

Java Edition:

Chicken variants can be configured using JSON files within a data pack in the path data/<namespace>/chicken_variant.

Achievements

IconAchievementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)Gamerscore earnedTrophy type (PS)
PS4Other
It SpreadsKill a mob next to a catalyst10Bronze
OverkillDeal nine hearts of damage in a single hit.Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall.30Bronze
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the MaceDamage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.20Silver

Advancements

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
A Throwaway JokeThrow a Trident at something.
Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea.
Hit a mob with a thrown trident.
AdventureAdventure, exploration and combatKill any mob, or be killed by any living entity.
ArbalisticKill five unique mobs with one crossbow shotArmor Stand also counts for this advancement.
This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.
It SpreadsKill a mob near a Sculk Catalyst Mobs that drop no experience as well as the ender dragon are ignored for this advancement.
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the MaceDamage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.
Take AimShoot something with an ArrowUsing a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow.
The Parrots and the BatsBreed two animals together A mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs are ignored for this advancement.
Two by TwoBreed all the animals! A trader llama does not count as a llama, and a mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs can be bred, but are ignored for this advancement.

Videos

History

Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.14 Added chickens.
Chickens fall more slowly than other mobs and have a flapping animation, but still take fall damage on landing.
v1.0.17Chickens are now immune to fall damage.
Java Edition Beta
1.0Eggs are now throwable, with a chance to spawn a chicken on impact.
1.8Pre-releaseChickens now drop raw chicken, and if killed on fire it drops cooked chicken.
Chickens now run away when attacked.
Java Edition
1.0.0Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2Chickens can now be bred using wheat.
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3 Added baby chickens.
RC1Thrown eggs can now hatch baby chickens.
1.2.112w04aOcelots now attack chickens.
12w07aChickens now have new AI to avoid hazards.
1.4.212w36aChickens now use wheat seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds and nether wart instead of wheat to breed.
12w38aAdded new step sounds for chickens.
1.6.113w16aAdded leads, which can be used to leash chickens.
1.7.413w49aAdded chicken jockeys — baby zombies spawned riding adult chickens.
Chickens can now spawn in The Nether, as zombie pigmen also have a jockey variation.
1.814w02aBaby chicken growth can now be accelerated using seeds.
14w33cBaby chickens can now swim.
14w34dChickens can no longer be bred using melon seeds, pumpkin seeds or nether wart.
1.915w31aChickens can now be led and bred using melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and beetroot seeds, in addition to regular seeds.
15w43aChickens can now drop several raw/cooked chicken, if killed with a Looting-enchanted weapon.
1.1016w20aChickens no longer spawn in ice plains.
1.1116w32aA texture has been added under the chicken's head, which changes the texture from to .[2]
1.1418w43a The texture of chickens has been changed.
19w07aAdded foxes, which pursue and kill chickens.
1.1519w37a5% of chickens now spawn as babies.
1.19.4
Experiment
Update 1.20
1.19.4 Pre-release 1Chickens can now be fed using torchflower seeds.[3]
1.2015w31aChickens can now be fed using pitcher pods.
1.21.525w02aChickens can now spawn in wooded badlands. Technically, they are also allowed to spawn in badlands and eroded badlands, but cannot spawn there naturally as these biomes do not generate grass blocks.
25w06a Added cold and warm chickens.
The original chicken variant is now considered temperate.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.3.0 Added chickens.
Baby chickens have also been added, but they do not yet spawn naturally.
v0.6.0Baby chickens now spawn naturally.
v0.7.0Chickens now lay eggs and have a 1 in 8 chance to spawn a baby chicken and a 1 in 254 chance for an egg to hatch 4 chickens.
v0.8.0build 1Baby chickens can now be spawned by throwing eggs.
Chickens now follow players holding wheat seeds, but cannot be fed yet.
build 4Chickens can be fed wheat seeds, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, or beetroot seeds to enter love mode and breed.
v0.9.0build 1Chickens now spawn in small groups.
v0.9.2The health of chickens has been reduced from 8HP♥♥♥♥ to 4HP♥♥.
v0.10.0build 4Chickens no longer have a black texture on their chin due to the texture being missing, which changes the appearance from to .
v0.11.0build 1Added chicken jockeys — baby zombies or baby zombie pigmen spawn riding chickens.
v0.12.1build 1Added ocelots, which attack chickens.
Chickens can now drop several raw/cooked chicken, if killed with a Looting-enchanted weapon.
v0.14.0build 1Baby zombie jockeys no longer spawn riding chickens, but check for nearby adult chickens to mount prior to attacking a player, villager, snow golem, or iron golem.
v0.15.0build 1Baby husks can now mount adult chickens.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3 The texture of chickens has been changed.
1.13.0beta 1.13.0.1Added foxes, which attack chickens.
1.18.30Preview 1.18.20.28Chickens no longer spawn in snowy taigas.
ReleaseReverted the chicken spawning change made in Preview 1.18.20.28.
1.21.70
Experiment
Drop 1 2025
Preview 1.21.70.20 Added cold and warm chickens.
1.21.70Preview 1.21.70.23All features behind the "Drop 1 2025" experimental toggle have now been fully implemented.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU1CU11.001.001.00Patch 11.0.1 Added chickens.
TU5Chickens now run away when attacked.
TU7 Added baby chickens.
Chickens can now be bred using seeds.
TU141.04Using a chicken spawn egg, baby chickens can now be spawned by using Left trigger on a chicken.
TU31CU191.221.221.22Patch 3Added chicken jockeys — baby zombies spawned riding adult chickens.
Chickens can now spawn in The Nether, as zombie pigmen also have a jockey variation.
Baby chicken growth can now be accelerated using seeds.
?CU44????1.0.4A texture has been added under the chicken's head, which changes the appearance from to .​
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0 Added chickens.

Data history

Java Edition
1.1116w32aThe entity ID has been changed from Chicken to chicken.
1.1317w47aNumeric IDs for entities were presumably deprecated in this version.​
1.21.525w06aAdded the variant data to the chicken.

Issues

Issues relating to "Chicken" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

Gallery

This section would benefit from the addition of more images.
 
Please remove this notice once you've added suitable images to the article.
The specific instructions are: Animated versions of new chicken variants.

Animations

Mojang screenshots

Screenshots

Textures

In other media

Social media

Merchandise

Notes


References

  1. MC-95818
  2. MC-2153
  3. MC-260035 — resolved as "Fixed".
  4. "Also, the chicken is now a duck."@notch (Markus Persson) on X (formerly Twitter), October 28, 2011
  5. "@NationalStupid1 It was a joke"@jeb_ (Jens Bergensten) on X (formerly Twitter), November 2, 2011
  6. "Minecraft – Pocket Edition Now with Crafting!" (Archive) by Daniel Kaplan – Mojang.com, April 24, 2012.
  7. "Gender in Minecraft" – Notch, July 28, 2012, Tumblr
  8. "The T. rex Escapes the Paddock in 4K HDR | Jurassic Park" – Jurassic World on YouTube, May 1, 2021

External links

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