Once harmless farm animals, and also the first of creatures to be altered by evil wizardry, they have now become horrific monsters that feast on human flesh. They reproduce fast like the Naga and already had high numbers from being breeded by villagers... They might seem like they're just chickens, but keep your guard when fighting them.
Dire Chickens can spawn in any hazardous biome, and can also spawn from Dire Chicken Spawners. They have low HP and inflict a moderate amount of damage. Dire Chickens are very weak at lower levels, but should be carefully delt with at higher levels or in large groups. They are extremely deadly at high levels or in huge swarms. One should especially be careful not to allow large flocks of Dire Chickens to trap or corner them. However it is relatively simple to escape them, since they move at the same speed as a normal chicken.
They are often considered an annoyance in dungeons due to the fact that they push players attempting to climb ladders back down, and do not suffer fall damage due to the fact that they share the normal chicken's hovering/fluttering ability.
Additionally, Dire Chickens are known to lay eggs, which are no different from the eggs laid by vanilla minecraft chickens. This allows patient players to actually farm chickens like in vanilla.
A Dire Chicken that has spawned with a different name and color.
Dire Chickens have a similar appearance to normal chickens; however, they have red eyes and darker feathers.