This no-sew, super niche crochet pattern is an adaptation of the Basic Chicken pattern. It adds some simple colour changes to give the chicken (or chick) a Starfleet uniform, and a little embroidered comm badge. Follow along here, or download a nice little PDF for free at Ravelry.

Yarn Colours

Upper body, U in the pattern; dark orange, brown, yellow. Bolian blue?
Lower body, L in the pattern
Medical, Science; blue
TOS Command/TNG, DS9, VOY Engineering, Security; gold
TOS Engineering, Security/TNG, DS9, VOY Command; red.
Beak; orange, brown.
Eyes; black.
Comb and wattle; red.
Uniform insignia/comm badge; silver and gold embroidery floss.

Notes

• Hook and yarn weight; for a small, keychain size bird, I use DK or worsted and a 3mm hook. The pattern scales just fine using heavier yarn, or using two or three strands held together, and larger hooks.
• Wings do not have to be secured, but if being used as a keyring there will be less wear and tear if they are.
• Colour changes; unless otherwise stated, the last yarn over of the last stitch before a colour change should be done in the next colour. This makes a smoother transition.
• Stitch counts do not include the “slst, ch1” join.
• Experiment with little embellishments to signify different races. Create brow ridges for Worf by adding some embroidered lines to the forehead. Or smaller lines above the beak and a little earring for Bajorans. Maybe some pointy eyebrows for a Vulcan. Leave the comb off for a Bolian. Choose more striking eye colours for characters with unique eye colours.
• Pattern written using US terminology. See list of stitches here.

Pattern

Body
Start in U
R01; MR, 6sc, slst, ch1 (6)
R02; 6inc, slst, ch1 (12)
R03; [1sc, 1inc] x 6, slst, ch1 (18)
R04; [2sc, 1inc] x 6, slst, ch1 (24)
R05; 24sc, slst, ch1 (24)
R06; 24sc, slst, ch1 (24)

Colour changes start here. Take note of the last stitch in each colour so you can transition to the next colour smoothly.

R07; U 2sc
L FLO *(1sc, 1hdc), 1dc, 1trc inc, 1dc, (1hdc, 1sc)*, 1sc
U 8sc L 1sc, repeat *…*
U 2sc, slst, ch1 (30)

R08; U 2sc
L 5sc in back loops of R06, 1sc
U 8sc L 1sc, 5sc in back loops of R06
U 2sc, slst
L ch1 (24)

Use L colour from here.

R09; [3sc, 1inc] x 6, slst, ch1 (30)

R10; 30sc, slst, ch1 (30)
R11; 30sc, slst, ch1 (30)
R12; [3sc, 1invdec] x 6, slst, ch1 (24)
R13; [2sc, 1invdec] x 6, slst, ch1 (18)

Partially stuff here.

R14; [1sc, 1dec] x 6 BLO for a flat base. Both loops for a rounded base, slst, ch1 (12)
R15; 6invdec (6)

Finish stuffing and close. Leave a long tail for securing the wings, and attaching a keyring or creating a loop of chained crochet if desired. You could also use the comb red or upper body colour.

Securing wings
Take the tail up through the centre of the base, pulling tight to flatten it out if you want a flat base. Come out through R08, under one of the wings. Stitch over one of the treble crochet stitches, taking the yarn back down to the centre. Repeat for the other wing.

Eyes
Embroider two small lines over R07, 5st apart. Start by creating indentations by pulling the first stitches for each eye very tight. Go over the lines until you’re happy with the eyes. Usually three stitches, including the tight ones at the beginning will be enough. Pass back and forth through the body three times then take it through the same stitch as the beginning end. Tie them together with a double knot (I actually use a treble, because I’m paranoid), and push the knot back through the stitch along with both tails. Snip them short if they’re too long.

Beak
Take orange yarn down to the base from R07, 1st in from the left eye.
Surface crochet ch1 across R07 to secure.
Working toward the right eye;
Ch2, slst in 2nd chain from the hook, ch1.
Sk1.
1sc in next stitch, and pull through.
Use a needle to take the thread through the next stitch so that both sides of the beak are 1st in from the eyes. Secure by taking the thread back and forth three times through the body and then down to the tail, through the same stitch. Tie them together and push the knot and tails into the body.

Comb and Wattle
Take red yarn down from R03 in the centre of the head and come out in R07, just off centre of and under the beak. Sew a small line over one stitch so that the centre of the line is aligned with the centre of the beak. Go over this stitch two or three more times to create a little red bump under the beak. Take the tail down to the base on the final red stitch for the wattle.
Now take your crochet hook back up to the R03.
Surface crochet ch1 to secure.
Ch3, slst in third chain from the hook. Surface crochet 1sc over R01, keeping as central as possible.
Ch3, slst in third chain from the hook. Surface crochet 1sc over R02, at the back, keeping as central as possible.
Ch3, slst in third chain from the hook. Surface crochet 1sc over R04.
Pull through and cut. Weave the tail three times through the body then take it down to the short tail in the base, through the same stitch as the tail. Tie them together with a simple double knot, then push the knot and remaining yarn back through the stitch.

Insignia or Comm Badge
I based this on the Deep Space Nine era combadge. Though it’s so small it works for The Next Generation era combadges, which have a solid, rounded gold back.
Embroider several gold stitches a little to the right and several rounds below the eye. For exact position; I’ve placed the Science Blue’s badge between R10 and R11, and between the 20th and 21st stitch. But place it wherever looks best for your little hen. Start by taking the thread through a stitch on the back or off to the side, leaving a starting tail long enough to tie a few knots with. Finish off by taking the thread back to the starting tail, through the same stitch. Tie together and push back into the body.
Next add the silver part by embroidering a little arrowhead over the gold. If you can manage to get the proportions spot on, awesome. I didn’t bother. Both sides of my little silver arrowhead are the same. Start and finish off the same way as the gold.

All done. A cute little Captain Chicken. Or maybe Chief Chicken. Commander Chicken. Doctor Chicken…