Free crochet chicken pattern: plump amigurumi hen

If you've been hunting for a free crochet chicken pattern that doesn't look like a lumpy egg with a beak drawn on it — meet Henrietta. She's a plump little amigurumi hen with a proud red comb, a perky orange beak, twin wattles, and three upright tail feathers, all balanced on two sturdy orange feet so she stands on her own. The whole bird is built from simple single-crochet spirals, so if you can work a magic ring and count to 36, you can crochet this chicken.

Why you'll love this free crochet chicken pattern

Most free chicken patterns are one of two things: a nearly-spherical "blob hen" that reads as a generic bird, or a rooster so over-engineered with hackle feathers and spurs that you spend more time assembling than crocheting. This design sits right in the middle. The body uses classic, clean increase math — a true egg-plump shape that photographs beautifully from every angle — and all the character comes from small, easy pieces: three little comb bumps, a cone beak, teardrop wattles, and fanned tail feathers.

It's also a wonderful scrap-buster. The body needs less than half a skein of cream yarn, and the comb, beak, wattles, legs, and feet are all made from tiny amounts of red and orange. If you've been saving those almost-empty skeins "for something small," this hen is that something.

Materials you'll need

A quick note on yarn choice: acrylic is the forgiving beginner pick — it holds its shape and hides small tension wobbles. Cotton gives crisp, photo-ready stitch definition but shows every inconsistency, so it's the better choice for your second hen, not your first. Either way, work tightly enough that you can't see daylight between your stitches.

Size, gauge and skill level

• Finished size: about 11 cm (4.5 in) tall standing, 9 cm (3.5 in) wide.
• Gauge: not critical for amigurumi — what matters is a dense fabric that hides the stuffing. If fiberfill peeks through, go down a hook size. As a rough guide, 4 single crochets should measure about 2.5 cm (1 in).
• Skill level: confident beginner. You should know the magic ring, single crochet, increase, decrease, and how to fasten off. Sewing the pieces together is the fiddliest part, and the assembly order below is arranged to make it foolproof.

If you've never made amigurumi before, this hen is a genuinely good first project — every piece is a variation on the same spiral, so by the third comb bump you'll be working on autopilot. And if the bug bites, our celestial leaf dragon uses the same spiral techniques at a bigger, showpiece scale.

Abbreviations — US terms

A note on decreases: the invisible decrease (insert hook in the front loop only of the next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both loops, yarn over, pull through two loops) keeps the fabric smooth with no little bumps. Use it everywhere this pattern says "dec" and the hen's curves will look professionally finished.

The pattern (US terms)

Work in continuous spirals unless noted. Mark the first stitch of each round with a stitch marker and move it up as you go. The stitch count at the end of every round is in parentheses — count your stitches, especially on the body. Ten seconds of counting now saves ten minutes of frogging later.

Body — main color (cream)

Worked from the bottom up — R1 is the base she stands on.

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2: inc in each st (12)
• R3: [sc, inc] × 6 (18)
• R4: [2 sc, inc] × 6 (24)
• R5: [3 sc, inc] × 6 (30)
• R6: [4 sc, inc] × 6 (36)
• R7–R12: sc in each st around (36) — 6 rounds even
• R13: [4 sc, dec] × 6 (30)
• R14: sc in each st around (30)
• R15: [3 sc, dec] × 6 (24)
• Insert the safety eyes between R15 and R16, 8 stitches apart. Push the washers on firmly — they should click. Begin stuffing the body now, while the opening is wide.
• R16: sc in each st around (24)
• R17: [2 sc, dec] × 6 (18)
• R18: [sc, dec] × 6 (12)
• Finish stuffing firmly. R19: dec × 6 (6). FO, thread the tail through the front loops of the remaining stitches, pull tight, and weave in.

Tip: stuff the body firmly but not drum-tight — aim for the firmness of a ripe avocado. The bottom rounds (R1–R3) should be stuffed extra firmly since they form her standing base; a soft base is the number-one reason amigurumi birds tip over.

Comb bumps — red, make 3

• R1: MR, 5 sc (5)
• R2: inc in each st (10)
• R3–R4: sc in each st around (10) — 2 rounds even
• R5: dec × 5 (5). Stuff very lightly (a tiny pinch is plenty), FO, thread the tail through the front loops, pull tight, and leave a long tail for sewing.

Beak — orange

• R1: MR, 4 sc (4)
• R2: [sc, inc] × 2 (6)
• R3: sc in each st around (6)
• FO, leaving a long tail. Do not stuff. Flatten the piece gently side to side so it reads as a cone.

Wattles — red, make 2

• R1: MR, 4 sc (4)
• R2: [sc, inc] × 2 (6)
• R3: sc in each st around (6)
• FO, leaving a long tail. Do not stuff.

Wings — main color (cream), make 2

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2: [sc, inc] × 6 (12)
• R3–R5: sc in each st around (12) — 3 rounds even
• R6: [2 sc, dec] × 3 (9)
• R7: sc in each st around (9)
• FO, leaving a long tail. Do not stuff. Flatten each wing — the top edge will angle slightly upward when you sew it on.

Tail feathers — main color (cream), make 3

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2–R5: sc in each st around (6) — 4 rounds even
• R6: [sc, dec] × 2 (4)
• FO, leaving a long tail. Do not stuff — unstuffed feathers hold a jaunty fan shape better.

Legs — orange, make 2

• R1: MR, 5 sc (5)
• R2–R4: sc in each st around (5) — 3 rounds even
• FO, leaving a long tail. Do not stuff.

Feet — orange, make 2

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2: [sc, inc] × 6 (12)
• R3: sc in each st around (12)
• R4: [2 sc, dec] × 3 (9)
• FO, leaving a long tail. Stuff lightly or leave unstuffed — the feet are mostly a visual base.

Assembly — the order that actually matters

1. Legs to feet. Sew one leg onto the top center of each foot with a few small whipstitches. The leg should stand straight up from the foot, not lean.
2. Feet to body. Pin the feet to the bottom front of the body around R2–R4, about 6 stitches apart, toes pointing forward. Stand her up on the table — she should balance already. Adjust the placement until she stands steady, then sew each foot on with two passes of whipstitch.
3. Tail. Pin the three feathers fanned across the back of the body around R7–R8: the middle feather pointing straight up and slightly back, the side feathers angled outward about 30 degrees. Sew each one on firmly — the tail gets bumped and needs a strong join.
4. Wings. Pin one wing to each side of the body around R10–R12, with the top edge of the wing angled slightly upward (think of a bird settling her feathers, not flapping). Sew around the top half of each wing only, leaving the bottom edge free so the wings look soft rather than glued-down.
5. Comb. Whipstitch the three red bumps together in a row first, tallest in the middle. Then sew the row along the top of the head around R17–R18, centered front-to-back and sitting slightly forward of center. Go around the base of each bump twice.
6. Beak. Center the beak between and just below the eyes, with its base spanning R14 and the point facing forward and very slightly down. Flatten the base against the body as you sew so there are no gaps.
7. Wattles. Sew one wattle on each side of the beak's base, hanging just below it. They should dangle freely — don't sew them flat against the body.

Finishing touches

This is where a good hen becomes a great hen. Take fifteen unhurried minutes here; it's the difference between "homemade" and "handmade."

The speckles (optional but charming). Thread brown embroidery floss (single strand). Scatter short straight stitches — just 2–3 yarn-overs long — randomly over the body and wings, about 20–30 total. Real hens are gloriously imperfect, so resist the urge to make a pattern. Keep the speckles off the face area so her expression stays clean.

Comb posture check. Look at her from the side: the comb should stand upright, not flop forward. If a bump leans, take one extra stitch through its base into the head to pull it upright. Amigurumi combs settle in the first day — check again tomorrow and re-tack if needed.

Blush cheeks. Rub the tiniest amount of pink chalk pastel or blush on a cotton bud and dab it just below and outside each eye. Seal with a spritz of hairspray from 30 cm away. Skip this if the hen is for a small child.

The final balance test. Set her on a hard, flat surface and give the table a gentle nudge. If she rocks and recovers, you're done. If she topples, the feet need to move a few millimeters forward — unpick, re-pin, re-sew. Five minutes now saves a hen that can't stand up in photos.

Three cute variations to try next

Once you've made one hen, the whole barnyard beckons. Same pattern, three personalities:

1. Rhode Island Red. Work the body, wings, and tail in a rich rust-brown, keep the comb and wattles in a darker crimson, and skip the speckles. She looks magnificent next to the cream version — make both and you have an instant farmhouse shelf display.
2. Speckled Sussex. White body with heavy dark-brown speckle embroidery (go wild — 40+ speckles), and work the tail feathers with the last round in dark brown for dipped tips. This is the colorway that stops scrollers on Pinterest.
3. Easter chick. Work everything in soft yellow, skip the comb and wattles entirely, and add one tiny red comb nub (a single bump piece) on top. Nestle her in a twine nest with a few free crochet hearts tucked in as "eggs" — or surround her with blooms from our crochet flower pattern for a spring centerpiece that gets photographed to death.

And if this project gave you the amigurumi bug, the celestial leaf dragon uses the same spiral techniques at a bigger, showpiece scale, while the little lamb baby snuggle gift set bundles a sweet amigurumi with matching accessories for gift-giving.

Troubleshooting tips

• You can see stuffing through the stitches. Your tension is too loose or your hook is too big. Drop to a 3.25 mm hook, or consciously tighten up — amigurumi fabric should be dense enough to hide fiberfill completely.
• The hen tips forward. The feet are placed too far back, or the base is under-stuffed. Move the feet a few millimeters forward and pack the bottom rounds (R1–R3) extra firmly before re-sewing.
• A comb bump flops sideways. Take one extra anchoring stitch through the bump's base into the head, pulling it upright. Whipstitch the three bumps to each other as well as to the head — they support each other.
• The beak looks squashed. You probably stuffed it (don't) or sewed it too tightly. The beak should be a hollow cone — re-sew it with looser stitches just around the base ring so the cone keeps its shape.
• The wings stick out stiffly. You sewed them down all the way around. Unpick the bottom edge and re-sew only the top half of each wing so they lie softly against the body.
• The magic ring keeps loosening. After R1, tug the tail firmly, then weave it through the first round in a circle before trimming. Or start with "ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook" instead — slightly less tidy, completely secure.

Frequently asked questions

Is this crochet chicken pattern really free?

Yes — the complete pattern above is free, no email signup, no PDF purchase required. If you'd like to support the site, sharing the post or saving it on Pinterest is the kindest thank-you.

What skill level is this pattern?

Confident beginner. If you can crochet a magic ring and single crochet in the round, you have every skill this pattern needs. The trickiest part is sewing the sixteen pieces together neatly, and the assembly section walks you through the exact order that makes it easy.

How long does it take to make?

About 4–5 hours total: roughly 2.5 hours of crocheting the sixteen pieces, an hour of assembly and sewing, and 30 minutes of face placement, speckles, and finishing touches. It's a perfect weekend project — start Saturday morning, photograph her Sunday.

Can I sell the finished hens I make?

Yes! You may sell finished hens made from this pattern in small batches (craft fairs, Etsy, gifts). Please credit Little Loop Finds as the pattern designer with a link back to this page. The pattern text and photos themselves may not be redistributed, republished, or sold.

Can I use a different yarn weight?

Absolutely. Use the hook size recommended on your yarn label minus 0.5 mm (so the fabric stays tight), and your hen will simply come out bigger or smaller. Chunky chenille yarn with a 5.5 mm hook makes a gloriously squishy 22 cm hen — a reader favorite for nursery shelves.

Is this hen safe for babies and toddlers?

With one change, yes: embroider the eyes instead of using safety eyes — two small French knots or satin-stitch ovals in black floss. Safety eyes are secure for older children and adults but are still small parts, so use your judgment for under-threes.

More free patterns to try

If this hen was fun, keep the hook moving. The little lamb baby snuggle gift set pairs an amigurumi lamb with a lovey and hat for the ultimate baby gift, the star blanket makes a gorgeous backdrop for photographing your amigurumi, the woodland nursery mobile turns small plushies into nursery decor, and the free crochet heart works up in minutes — perfect for tucking into a nest display with your new hen.

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