A chicken jockey spawns naturally in Bedrock, but you can also create one with a command
A chicken jockey is a baby zombie, baby husk, baby drowned, or baby piglin riding on a chicken. In Bedrock Edition, they spawn randomly in the world during normal gameplay, but the spawn rate is low — you might play for hours without seeing one. If you want one right away, the fastest method is to use a spawn command rather than waiting for one to appear naturally.
The command to summon a chicken jockey is different depending on which type of baby mob you want riding the chicken. Each command spawns both the baby mob and the chicken at the same location, with the mob already mounted on the chicken's back.
Key Takeaways
- Chicken jockeys spawn naturally in Bedrock Edition but are rare; using a command is faster if you want one when ready.
- The summon command syntax is /summon [mob_type] ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_rider, where the mob type is the baby version of the zombie, husk, drowned, or piglin.
- You must have cheats turned on in your world settings before any summon command will work.
- Baby zombies are the most common chicken jockey type in the world, so they are a good choice if you are experimenting with the command for the first time.
Turn on cheats before you summon anything
Commands only work if cheats are enabled in your world. If you are playing in a world where you have not yet turned on cheats, you will need to do that first. Open your world settings, find the "Cheats" toggle, and turn it on. This setting applies to the entire world, so once it is on, any player in that world can use commands.
If you are starting a new world and know you want to use commands, turn on cheats during world creation instead. It is faster than going back to settings later.
The summon command for each chicken jockey type
Open the chat window by pressing the T key (or the right bumper on console), then type the command that matches the mob type you want. The tilde symbols (~) mean "spawn at my current location." If you want to spawn the jockey at a different spot, replace the three tildes with specific coordinates.
| Mob Type | Command |
|---|---|
| Baby Zombie | /summon zombie ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_rider |
| Baby Husk | /summon husk ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_rider |
| Baby Drowned | /summon drowned ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_rider |
| Baby Piglin | /summon piglin ~ ~ ~ minecraft:spawn_with_rider |
Press Enter after typing the command. If it works, you will see a message in the chat saying the entity was summoned, and the chicken jockey will appear at your feet or at the coordinates you specified.
What happens if the command does not work
The most common reason a summon command fails is that cheats are not turned on. Check your world settings again and make sure the Cheats toggle is set to on. If it is already on, check that you typed the command exactly as shown — the spelling, spacing, and punctuation all matter.
Another reason the command might not work is if you are playing on a Realm or a multiplayer server that has command restrictions. Some servers disable player commands to prevent griefing. If you own the Realm, you can turn on cheats in the Realm settings. If you are a guest on someone else's Realm or server, you will need to ask the owner to enable commands or summon the jockey for you.
How to find chicken jockeys without using commands
If you prefer to find them naturally, chicken jockeys spawn most often in warm biomes at night or in dark places like caves and dungeons. Baby zombies have a 5% chance to spawn riding a chicken when they appear, so they are the most common type of jockey you will encounter. Husks in desert biomes and drowned in ocean biomes have the same riding chance, but they are less common overall.
The spawn rate is still low, so if you are looking for one to study or keep, using a command is much more practical than hunting. Natural spawns are useful if you want to observe how they behave in the world without setting them up yourself.
What to do with a chicken jockey once you have one
Chicken jockeys move faster than regular baby zombies because the chicken can run, making them harder to escape from. They are also harder to hit because the chicken's body blocks some attacks. If you want to keep one alive, you can put it in a pen or use a name tag to prevent it from despawning. If you want to fight it, bring a sword and aim for the baby mob's head rather than trying to hit the chicken.
Some players build chicken jockey farms to study their behavior or to create a challenge. Others summon them just to see what they look like up close. Either way, once you have one, you can do whatever you want with it in your world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I summon a chicken jockey in Survival mode?
Yes, but only if you turn on cheats first. Cheats are available in Survival mode — they just are not on by default. Once you enable them, you can use any summon command in Survival just like you would in Creative mode.
What if I want the chicken jockey to have armor or weapons?
The basic summon command does not add armor or weapons. To do that, you would need to use a more complex command with NBT tags, which is beyond the scope of a basic summon. For now, use the straightforward command and then use Creative mode to add items to the baby mob's inventory if you want to experiment.
Do chicken jockeys drop anything special when they die?
No. When a chicken jockey dies, it drops the same items as a regular baby zombie or husk would — rotten flesh, and sometimes a carrot or potato if the baby mob was killed by fire. The chicken drops feathers and raw chicken like any other chicken.
Can I summon a chicken jockey on console?
Yes. On Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch, open the chat with the right bumper, type the command the same way, and press Enter. The command syntax is identical across all Bedrock platforms.