Minecraft wiki entry for Chicken, associated text: Chickens spawn naturally in the Overworld in groups of 4 on grass blocks, with 2 blocks of free space above it at a light level of 9 or more. They do not spawn in desert, snowy plains, ice spikes, snowy slopes, meadows, wooded badlands, jagged peaks, frozen peaks and stony peaks. In Java Edition, chickens are more common in sparse jungles.