Re: can chickens float and can they swim

This is a relative question.  Chickens are birds as you know, and even 
though they have lost most of their ability to fly, mainly because of 
domestication, they still have the same characteristics of other flying 
birds,i.e.

     1. Air sacs surround the lungs
     2. Bones contain numerous air cavities that make them light weight
        for flying 

If a chicken "would" float, it could, but since they are not adapted to 
water, they would attempt to flap and fly out of the water.  I assure you 
a dead chicken would float.

The second part of the question follows the samie line of explanation as 
the first.  A chicken would not attempt to swim, because it would exit the 
water with the flapping of its wings.  More specifically, if you dropped a 
chicken in the middle of the ocean, it would flap and try to fly until 
exhausted and then it would likely drown, not having the characteristics 
of water fowl,i.e.

      1. Waterproof feathers
      2. Webbed feet
      3. The ability to right itself in a water environment

After the unfortunate demise of the chicken, it would no doubt stay 
alfloat until some predator or scavenger of the ocean happened upon it and 
had the pleasure of a chicken dinner.