Chickens are the domesticated birds that peck around farms and villages all over Skyrim. With only 5 health and an attack that deals 2 damage, the chicken is the weakest creature in the game, yet it has a fearsome reputation among players. Killing one is a crime, and although the bounty is only 45 gold, the locals often take the matter into their own hands and come after you with weapons.
Where to find them
Look for chickens wherever people farm: homesteads, village yards and the farmland outside cities such as Whiterun. Nests near farmhouses usually hold a Chicken’s Egg or two, which you can pick up without needing to harm a bird.
The player can also own chickens. Buying Riften‘s Honeyside and paying for its garden upgrade adds two chickens to the property. These two do not lay eggs and just wander about; killing them gives no bounty, though Iona may attack you for it.
Hearthfire chickens
With Hearthfire, a homestead such as Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor or Heljarchen Hall can house up to three chickens. They cost 25 gold each, have to be arranged through your steward, and need an animal pen on the property. Unlike the Honeyside birds, these ones do lay eggs. Life on an exposed homestead is dangerous, though: dragons, trolls, giants or bandits tend to kill them sooner or later, and you cannot buy more than three. Replacements respawn if you stay away from the house for 20 days.
Notes
The meat they drop, Chicken Breast, is the base for dishes like Grilled Chicken Breast and Chicken Dumpling. Chickens can also be raised from the dead: hostile necromancers, Eola and Serana will reanimate a dead chicken if no other corpse is available. Most of Skyrim’s chickens resemble the Catalana breed. Shouting the Howl of Terror at them does not make them flee, although they are outlined by its effect.
