Chicken

The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespreaddomestic animals with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003,^[1] there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs. The chicken’s “cultural and culinary dominance” could be considered amazing to some in view of its believed domestic origin and purpose and it has “inspired contributions to culture, art, cuisine, science and religion”^[2]from antiquity to the present.

The traditional poultry farming view of the domestication of the chicken is stated in Encyclopædia Britannica (2007): “Humans first domesticated chickens of Indian origin for the purpose of cockfighting in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Very little formal attention was given to egg or meat production… “^[3]Recent genetic studies have pointed to multiple maternal origins in Southeast, East, and South Asia, but with the clade found in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa originating in the Indian subcontinent. From India the domesticated fowl made its way to the Persianized kingdom of Lydia in western Asia Minor, and domestic fowl were imported to Greece by the fifth century BC.^[4] Fowl had been known in Egypt since the 18th Dynasty, with the “bird that gives birth every day” having come to Egypt from the land between Syria and Shinar, Babylonia, according to the annals of Tutmose III.

In the UK, Ireland and Australia adult male chickens over the age of 12 months are primarily known as cocks, whereas in America and Canada they are more commonly called roosters. Males under a year old are cockerels.^[7] Castrated roosters are called capons (surgical and chemical castration are now illegal in some parts of the world). Females over a year old are known as hensand younger females as pullets^[8] although in the egg laying industry, a pullet becomes a hen when she begins to lay eggs at 16 to 20 weeks of age. In Australia and New Zealand (also sometimes in Britain), there is a generic term chook ( /ˈtʃʊk/) to describe all ages and both sexes.^[9] Babies are called chicks and the meat is called chicken.

“Chicken” originally referred to chicks, not the species itself. The species as a whole was then called domestic fowl, or just fowl. This use of “chicken” survives in the phrase “Hen and Chickens”, sometimes used as a British public house or theatre name, and to name groups of one large and many small rocks or islands in the sea (see for example Hen and Chicken Islands).

In the Deep South of the United States chickens are also referred to by the slang term yardbird.

Rooster

General Biology and Habitat

Chickens are omnivores.^[11] In the wild, they often scratch at the soil to search for seeds, insects and even larger animals such as lizards or young mice.^[12]

Chickens may live for five to ten years, depending on the breed.^[13] The world’s oldest chicken, a hen, died of heart failure at the age of 16 according to theGuinness Book of World Records.^[14]

Roosters can usually be differentiated from hens by their striking plumage of long flowing tails and shiny, pointed feathers on their necks (hackles) and backs (saddle) which are typically of brighter, bolder colors than those of females of the same breed. However, in some breeds, such as the Sebright, the rooster has only slightly pointed neck feathers, the same color as the hen’s. The identification can be made by looking at the comb, or eventually from the development of spurs on the male’s legs (in a few breeds and in certain hybrids the male and female chicks may be differentiated by color). Adult chickens have a fleshy crest on their heads called a comb or cockscomb and hanging flaps of skin either side under their beaks called wattles. Both the adult male and female have wattles and combs, but in most breeds these are more prominent in males. A muff or beard is a mutation found in several chicken breeds which causes extra featheringunder the chicken’s face, giving the appearance of a beard.

Domestic chickens are not capable of long distance flight, although lighter birds are generally capable of flying for short distances, such as over fences or into trees (where they would naturally roost). Chickens may occasionally fly briefly to explore their surroundings, but generally do so only to flee perceived danger.

Wild Red Junglefowl

Social Behaviour

Chickens are gregarious birds and live together in flocks. They have a communal approach to the incubation of eggs and raising of young. Individual chickens in a flock will dominate others, establishing a “pecking order“, with dominant individuals having priority for food access and nesting locations. Removing hens or roosters from a flock causes a temporary disruption to this social order until a new pecking order is established. Adding hens, especially younger birds, to an existing flock can lead to fighting and injury.^[15] When a rooster finds food, he may call other chickens to eat first. He does this by clucking in a high pitch as well as picking up and dropping the food. This behavior may also be observed in mother hens to call their chicks and encourage them to eat.

Roosters crowing (a loud and sometimes shrill call) is a territorial signal to other roosters. However, crowing may also result from sudden disturbances within their surroundings. Hens cluck loudly after laying an egg, and also to call their chicks. Chickens also give a low “warning call” when they think they see a predator approaching.

Courtship

To initiate courting, some roosters may dance in a circle around or near a hen (“a circle dance”), often lowering his wing which is closest to the hen.^[16] The dance triggers a response in the hen^[16] and when she responds to his “call”, the rooster may mount the hen and proceed with the mating.

Nesting and Laying Behaviour

Hens will often try to lay in nests that already contain eggs and have been known to move eggs from neighboring nests into their own. Some farmers use fake eggs made from plastic or stone (orgolf balls) to encourage hens to lay in a particular location. The result of this behavior is that a flock will use only a few preferred locations, rather than having a different nest for every bird. Hens will often express a preference to lay in the same location. It is not unknown for two (or more) hens to try to share the same nest at the same time. If the nest is small, or one of the hens is particularly determined, this may result in chickens trying to lay on top of each other.