Re: Chickens

[paleo@ix.netcom.com (Glen J. Kuban )]

they try to fly is very interesting.  Several people wrote to speculate 
about this, pointing out that they sometimes succeed in flying (or at 
least leaving the ground for a while).  At risk of appearing sadistic, 
I think we should take this a step further, into a more scientific, 
experimental phase.  Any P.E.T.A. people in the audience, please take a 
sedative before reading further.
     Why doesn't someone remove the wings, or at least all the wing 
feathers, from a chicken (or a number of chickens, for more reliable 
results), and see whether they go faster or slower?  I'm serious, or at 
least half serious.  Of course, someone might have to chase or frighten 
the chickens in a consistent manner each time. We might want only to 
only compare speeds during times they spent ON THE GROUND with and 
without wing feathers. Whether chickens had faster or slower ground 
speeds in each case might lead to some interesting inferences.  At 
worst, we might have something to send in to America's Funniest Home 
Videos.  By the way Jim, do you still have that video of you chasing 
Emu's to get them to make quasi-dinosaur footprints in mud?  :^}  
Anyone have any extra chickens handy?  Thank you.
    By the way, one might also ask why Roadrunners largely abandoned 
flying on their own (I assume chickens did so involuntarily during 
domestication).  I seem to recall Roadrunners doing some flapping and 
occassional flying also though.  At any rate, we could clip Roadrunner 
wings in phase two of the experiments, if someone can catch them.  

Glen Kuban
paleo@ix.netcom.com