A mama hen surrounded by her fluffy chicks is one of the warmest, most charming farm scenes you can draw. The hen's round body, bright red comb, and fanning tail feathers contrast beautifully with the tiny, perfectly circular chicks waddling around her feet. Parikshet's guide builds both the hen and her chicks step by step, so you can create a complete farmyard scene.

🖍️ What You Need

  • Pencil and eraser
  • Orange and golden-yellow markers for the chicken
  • Red for the comb and wattle
  • Black pen for outlines
  • Optional: light brown for the nest or ground

How to Draw a Chicken with Chicks Step by Step

  1. Draw the hen's body — a large oval, roughly egg-shaped (naturally!), slightly wider at the back than the front. This forms the body.
  2. Add the head and neck — a small circle for the head, connected to the body by a short, slightly thick neck.
  3. Draw the comb — on top of the head, draw a small zigzag or lumpy crest shape in red. The comb is the most distinctive chicken feature and makes it instantly recognisable.
  4. Add the wattle and beak — below the beak area, draw a small rounded red wattle (the fleshy hanging bit). Add a small triangle beak pointing forward.
  5. Draw the wing — a curved teardrop or oval shape covering the side of the body. Add 3-4 overlapping curved lines along the lower edge to suggest individual feathers.
  6. Add the tail feathers — 4-5 curved feather shapes fanning upward from the back of the body, each overlapping the next.
  7. Draw the legs and feet — two thin legs extending downward with three-toed feet. Chickens stand on their toes, not flat-footed like humans.
  8. Add 3-4 chicks — small, near-perfect circles with tiny triangle beaks, dot eyes, and small stubby wing nubs. Scatter them around and below the hen.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: Baby chicks are almost perfectly circular — resist the urge to make their bodies oval or elongated. A chick is essentially just a round fluffy ball with a tiny beak, two dot eyes, and two small wing bumps. The simpler you draw the chicks, the cuter and more recognisable they look.

🌟 Did You Know?

A mother hen will begin communicating with her chicks before they even hatch — she clucks softly to the eggs and the chicks inside respond by peeping back. By the time they hatch, the chicks already recognise their mother's voice. Hens are also one of the few birds known to show empathy — studies have shown they become visibly distressed when their chicks are uncomfortable.

Different Types of Chickens to Draw

Not all chickens look the same. Here are three distinctive breeds that are fun to draw:

  • Silkie chicken — has fluffy, fur-like feathers all over the body (including the feet) and a rounded pom-pom crest on the head. Draw it as a round fluffball with no visible body structure.
  • Rooster — similar to the hen but with a much larger, more dramatic comb, a long flowing tail, and more vivid colouring. Roosters also have long curved tail feathers called sickle feathers.
  • Frizzle chicken — its feathers curl outward instead of lying flat, giving it a permanently surprised, dishevelled appearance. Draw individual feathers curling away from the body in all directions.

🎯 Try This: Draw the Full Farm Scene

  1. Draw the hen and chicks from this guide.
  2. Add a wooden fence behind them and a red barn in the background.
  3. Draw a feed bowl on the ground with grain scattered around it.
  4. Add a rooster perched on the fence post in the top corner.