Prairie+Chicken+2010

By: Marissa P.



The Prairie Chicken can be up to 19 inches long. They are medium sized, stocky, and round winged. Their tails are short and round. Adult females have short head feathers and lack the male’s yellow comb over their eyes. Also, they lack the orange neck patch. Prairie Chickens prefer undisturbed prairies and tall grass. The more agricultural land, the fewer Prairie Chickens. A Prairie Chickens diet consists of seeds and fruit during the summer. Also, they eat insects and green plants. The breeding season usually begins in the U.S., starting in late March through April. The one or two most dominant males will do about 90% of the mating. Hens lay between 5-17 eggs. The eggs take about 23-24 days to hatch. The young are raised by their mother in 1-4 weeks. The baby chicks are completely independent by the 12th week. One problem facing the chickens are the Ring-Necked Pheasants. Pheasants will lay their eggs in a Prairie Chicken’s nest. The Pheasant eggs will hatch first, causing the chickens to abandon their nests. Prairie Chickens are endangered because a great percentage of their habitats have been lost. We can save the Prairie Chickens. We can do this by setting aside a designated nesting area.