Rules
Rules version 2026-10-15 · plain-text version · video playlist
The game in one minute
- Players: 2–6. Ages: 7+. Length: about 15 minutes.
- Goal: finish the game with the best hand of chick cards.
- On your turn play as many cards as you like (or none), then draw 1 card.
- Anyone can answer a card with an interrupt card, even when it is not their turn.
- The game ends the moment the last card of the draw deck is drawn.
These rules are the same in every edition. Each edition has its own cards and its own way of counting the winner: see Innocent Edition, Pure Edition, Raging Edition and Mounting Edition.
Words used in these rules
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hand | The cards you hold. Keep them hidden unless a card says otherwise. |
| Draw deck | The face-down pile in the middle. “Draw” always means take its top card. |
| Discard pile | Face-up pile of used and discarded cards. |
| Play | Show a card from your hand and do what it says. |
| Pick | Choose a card from another player’s hand without seeing its face (they hold their cards fanned face-down towards you). |
| Discard / Remove | Put the card on the discard pile. |
| Steal | Take the card into your own hand. |
| Cancel | Stop a card that has just been played. It has no effect. |
| Redirect | Change which player an attack hits. |
| Reusable | Goes back to your hand after use instead of the discard pile. |
| Special card | A card that acts by itself when drawn or held (Booming Booby, Lovely Cockatoo, Imminent Booby, Rocking Mockingbird). |
Setting up
-
Take the edition’s special cards out of the deck (Booming Boobies in the Innocent Edition, Lovely Cockatoos in the Pure Edition, Imminent Boobies in the Raging Edition).
-
Shuffle the rest and deal each player:
Players Cards each 2 6 3 5 4 4 5 3 6 2 -
Shuffle the special cards back into the deck and put it face down in the middle. This is the draw deck.
-
The player who most recently saw a bird in real life goes first. Play continues clockwise.
Two players: leave the Flaming Galah and the Golden Goose out of the deck.
Mixing editions
You can shuffle two or more editions together into one bigger deck.
- Set aside every edition’s special cards before dealing, then shuffle them all back in.
- Falcon Interceptor and Distracting Booby are the same card, so treat them the same way.
- Score with points (see End of the game). An Innocent Chick is worth 1 point, so an Innocent-only game gives the same result either way.
- A bigger deck means a longer game. The online game lets the host choose a smaller deck.
Your turn
A turn has two phases.
1. Play cards
Play any number of cards from your hand, one at a time, or none at all.
- After each card, every other player gets a chance to interrupt it (see Interrupts). Wait a moment before carrying the card out.
- A used card goes on the discard pile, unless it is reusable (Golden Goose, Flaming Galah, and some cards in other editions), which go back into your hand.
- Some cards can only be played once per turn (Golden Goose, Flaming Galah). The card says so.
- Cards you steal or draw during your turn can be played straight away.
2. End your turn
Say that you are ending your turn, then draw 1 card. If you have no cards in your hand, draw 2 instead. The player on your left takes the next turn.
Special cards
A special card acts as soon as it is drawn, whether that’s at the end of a turn, from a Golden Goose or from a Holy Dove. Each edition has its own; the edition pages explain them.
End of the game
The game ends immediately when the last card of the draw deck is drawn.
- That last card cannot be played.
- If it is a special card, it still takes effect (a Booming Booby still makes its player discard).
- Then everyone reveals their hand and the winner is worked out as the edition says:
| Edition | Who wins |
|---|---|
| Innocent | Most Innocent Chicks in hand. |
| Pure, Raging, Mounting, or mixed editions | Most points: Innocent Chick 1, Perfect Chicks 2, a pair of Ample Great Tits 5, Raging Cockerel −2 (plus Mounting bonuses). |
Ties: if two or more players are level, the one holding the most cards wins. If that is level too, they are joint winners.
Bluffing
You may lie about the cards in your hand. Misleading your rivals is part of the fun.