User blog comment:Getgroundhog/The biggest plot hole in Skyrim?/@comment-4588723-20120823135820

Partial parodies of Hinduism aside, I think all the wild chickens (i.e. not domestically owned by farmers) would have gotten hunted out by wolves and foxes. Thus the remaining chickens are, in fact, pretty rare. Since you mention it, I've wondered where the ducks are that ought to fill out the ecosystem of the Southern Holds, but the presence of Slaughterfish in most bodies of water may explain that.