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Chicken

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture

                     iChicken
   A Rhode Island Red
   A Rhode Island Red

                             Conservation status

   Domesticated
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Aves
   Order:      Galliformes
   Family:     Phasianidae
   Genus:      Gallus
   Species:    G. gallus
   Subspecies: G. g. domesticus

                               Trinomial name

   Gallus gallus domesticus

   A chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a type of domesticated bird
   which is often raised as a type of poultry. It is believed to be
   descended from the wild Indian and south-east Asian Red Junglefowl.

   With a population of more than 24 billion in 2003 (according to the
   Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds), there are more chickens in the world
   than any other bird. They provide two sources of food frequently
   consumed by humans: their meat, also known as chicken, and eggs.

General biology and habitat

   Chicken eggs vary in color depending on the hen, typically ranging from
   bright white to shades of brown and even blue, green, and recently
   reported purple (found in South Asia) (Araucana varieties).
   Enlarge
   Chicken eggs vary in colour depending on the hen, typically ranging
   from bright white to shades of brown and even blue, green, and recently
   reported purple (found in South Asia) (Araucana varieties).
   Rooster crowing during daylight hours
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   Rooster crowing during daylight hours

   Male chickens are known as roosters (in the U.S., Canada and
   Australia), cocks, or cockerels if they are young. Castrated roosters
   are called capons. Female chickens are known as hens, or 'chooks' in
   Australian English. Young females are known as pullets. Roosters can
   usually be differentiated from hens by their striking plumage, marked
   by long flowing tails and bright pointed feathers on their necks.

   However, in some breeds, such as the Sebright, the cock only has
   slightly pointed neck feathers, and the identification must be made by
   looking at the comb. Chickens have a fleshy crest on their heads called
   a comb, and a fleshy piece of hanging skin under their beak called a
   wattle. These organs help to cool the bird by redirecting blood flow to
   the skin. Both the male and female have distinctive wattles and combs.
   In males, the combs are often more prominent, though this is not the
   case in all varieties.

   Domestic chickens are typically fed commercially prepared feed that
   includes a protein source as well as grains. Chickens often scratch at
   the soil to get at adult insects and larvae or seed. Incidents of
   cannibalism can occur when a curious bird pecks at a preexisting wound
   or during fighting (even among female birds). This is exacerbated in
   close quarters. In commercial egg and meat production this is
   controlled by trimming the beak (removal of ⅔ of the top half and
   occasionally ⅓ of the lower half of the beak).

   Domestic chickens are not capable of long distance flight, although
   they are generally capable of flying for short distances such as over
   fences. Chickens will sometimes fly to explore their surroundings, but
   usually only to flee perceived danger. Because of flight risk, chickens
   raised in open-air pens generally have one of their wings clipped by
   the breeder — the tips of the longest feathers on one of the wings are
   cut, resulting in unbalanced flight which the bird cannot sustain for
   more than a few meters ( more on wing clipping).

   Chickens are gregarious birds and live together as a flock. 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 access to
   food 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.

   Chickens will try to lay in nests that already contain eggs, and have
   been known to move eggs from neighbouring nests into their own. Some
   farmers use fake eggs made from plastic or stone to encourage hens to
   lay in a particular location. The result of this behaviour is that a
   flock will use only a few preferred locations, rather than having a
   different nest for every bird.

   Hens can also be extremely stubborn about always laying 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.

   Contrary to popular belief, roosters do not crow only at dawn, but may
   crow at any time of the day or night. Their 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.

   Chickens are domesticated descendants of the Red Junglefowl, which is
   biologically classified as the same species.

   Recent studies have shown that chickens (and possibly other bird
   species) still retain the genetic blueprints to produce teeth in the
   jaws, although these are dormant in living animals. These are a
   holdover from primitive birds such as Archaeopteryx, which were
   descended from theropod dinosaurs.

Courting

   When a rooster finds food he may call the other chickens to eat it
   first. He does this by clucking in a high pitch as well as picking up
   and dropping the food. This behaviour can also be observed in mother
   hens, calling their chicks. In some cases the rooster will drag the
   wing opposite the hen on the ground, while circling her. This is part
   of chicken courting ritual. When a hen is used to coming to his "call"
   the rooster may mount the hen and proceed with the fertilization.

Going broody

   A broody hen guarding her eggs
   Enlarge
   A broody hen guarding her eggs

   Sometimes a hen will stop laying and instead will focus on the
   incubation of eggs, a state that is commonly known as going broody. A
   broody chicken will sit fast on the nest, and protest or peck in
   defense if disturbed or removed, and will rarely leave the nest to eat,
   drink, or dust bathe. While broody, the hen keeps the eggs at a
   constant temperature and humidity, as well as turning the eggs
   regularly.

   At the end of the incubation period, which is an average of 21 days,
   the eggs (if fertilized) will hatch, and the broody hen will take care
   of her young. Since individual eggs do not all hatch at exactly the
   same time (the chicken can only lay one egg approximately every 25
   hours), the hen will usually stay on the nest for about two days after
   the first egg hatches. During this time, the newly-hatched chicks live
   off the egg yolk they absorb just before hatching. The hen can hear the
   chicks peeping inside the eggs, and will gently cluck to encourage them
   to break out of their shells. If the eggs are not fertilized and do not
   hatch, the hen will eventually grow tired of being broody and leave the
   nest.

   Modern egg-laying breeds rarely go broody, and those that do often stop
   part-way through the incubation cycle. Some breeds, such as the Cochin,
   Cornish and Silkie, regularly go broody and make excellent mothers.

Artificial incubation

   Chicken egg incubation can successfully occur artificially as well.
   Nearly all chicken eggs will hatch after 21 days of good conditions -
   99.5° fahrenheit (37.5° C) and around 55% relative humidity (increase
   to 70% in the last three days of incubation to help soften egg shell).
   Many commercial incubators are industrial-sized with shelves holding
   tens of thousands of eggs at a time, with rotation of the eggs a fully
   automated process.

   Home incubators are usually small boxes ( styrofoam incubators are
   popular) and hold a few to 50 eggs. Eggs must be turned three to five
   times each day, rotating at least 90 degrees. If eggs aren't turned,
   the embryo inside will stick to the shell and likely will be hatched
   with physical defects. This process is natural; hens will stand up
   three to five times a day and shift the eggs around with their beak.

Chickens as food

   Roast Chicken
   Enlarge
   Roast Chicken

   The meat of the chicken, is also called "chicken." Chicken is a type of
   poultry. Because of its relatively low cost among meats, chicken is one
   of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can
   be used for food, and the meat is cooked in many different ways around
   the world. Popular chicken dishes include fried chicken, chicken soup,
   marinated chicken wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken
   rice. Chicken is also a staple of fast food restaurants such as KFC
   (most products) and McDonald's (chicken burgers, chicken nuggets).

Chickens as pets

   A pair of day old chicks.
   Enlarge
   A pair of day old chicks.

   Chickens can make loving and gentle companion animals, but can
   sometimes become aggressive. Some have advised against keeping certain
   breeds around young children, as the chickens can become territorial
   and violent. In Asia, chickens with striking plumage have long been
   kept for ornamental purposes, including feather-footed varieties such
   as the Cochin and Silkie from China and the extremely long-tailed
   Phoenix from Japan. Asian ornamental varieties were imported into the
   United States and Great Britain in the late 1800s. Distinctive American
   varieties of chickens have been developed from these Asian breeds.
   Poultry fanciers began keeping these ornamental birds for exhibition, a
   practice that continues today.

   While some cities in the United States still allow chickens as pets,
   the practice is quickly disappearing. Individuals in rural communities
   commonly keep chickens for both ornamental and practical value. Some
   communities ban only roosters, allowing the quieter hens. Many zoos use
   chickens instead of insecticides to control insect populations.

   Keeping a few chickens as backyard pets is surprisingly easy to do. The
   major challenge is protecting the birds from predators such as dogs,
   raccoons and foxes. The birds will need a secure place to sleep at
   night. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. For a few
   birds allowed to roam free during the day, a large doghouse-type
   structure with a locking door will serve just fine. Some kind of
   bedding such as straw or wood shaving should be provided on the floor.
   Nest boxes will make egg collection easier. If the birds are left in
   the structure during the day, a larger, more elaborate structure would
   be necessary.

   Chicken naturally return to the same spot to roost every night. On most
   occasions they will put themselves to bed and your only job would be to
   make sure the door is shut and locked before nightfall. It is best to
   count the birds each night as sometimes a bird will not find her way
   back into the coop. A bird left out at night is likely to be killed by
   a predator.

   Most chickens cannot fly well and are easily contained with 3-4'
   fencing. Birds which are allowed to roam the yard during the day are
   quite effective at controlling insects of all types. Areas of bare dirt
   will benefit from the weed control and soil cultivation provided by the
   birds in their never ending search for food. The birds, however, will
   pick at plants and grass and may cause some damage to ground-cover with
   their scratching. Also chickens will eat most any kind of food scraps.
   It can be quite satisfying to see unusable food items turned into eggs
   by these able recyclers.

   The eggs themselves can be quite different from the store purchased
   variety. Fresh yolks are quite "perky" and stand tall above the white.
   The yolk color is frequently a deeper colour than the pale yellow of
   commercially raised eggs and can at time be almost a dark orange.

   Growing chickens can be tamed by feeding them a special treat (such as
   mealworms) by hand, and by being with them for at least ten minutes
   daily when they are young. Even older birds can be tamed considerably
   by hand-feeding leftover table scraps. It can be fun to help the birds
   forage by turning rocks over and watching them grab worms and bugs that
   typically can be found in these dark, moist areas. The chickens quickly
   associate you with a source of food and will become your constant
   companion when you are both in the yard.

   A former recurring skit on the weekly comedy show Saturday Night Live
   featured a chicken pet store with the Chinese owner (as played by Dana
   Carvey) not wishing to sell to customers on the basis that "Chickens
   make lousy house pets."

Chickens in agriculture

   Free Range Chickens Drinking from a tire
   Enlarge
   Free Range Chickens Drinking from a tire

   In the United States, chickens were once raised primarily on family
   farms. Prior to about 1930, chicken was served primarily on special
   occasions or on Sunday, as the birds were typically more valued for
   their eggs than meat. Excess roosters or non-productive hens would be
   culled from the flock first for butchering. As cities developed and
   markets sprung up across the nation, live chickens from local farms
   could often be seen for sale in crates outside the market to be
   butchered and cleaned onsite by the butcher.

   With the advent of vertical integration and selective breeding of
   efficient meat-type birds, poultry production changed dramatically.
   Large farms and packing plants emerged that could grow birds by the
   thousands. Chickens could be sent to slaughterhouses for butchering and
   processing into pre-packaged commercial products to be frozen or
   shipped fresh to markets or wholesalers. Meat-type chickens currently
   grow to market weight in 6-7 weeks whereas only fifty years ago it took
   three times as long (reference: Havenstein, G.B., P.R. Ferket, and M.A.
   Qureshi, 2003a. Growth, livability, and feed conversion of 1957 versus
   2001 broilers when feed representative 1957 and 2001 broiler diets.
   Poult. Sci. 82:1500-1508). This is due exclusively to genetic selection
   and nutritional advances (and not to use of growth hormones, which are
   illegal for use in poultry in the US and many other countries). Once a
   meat consumed only occasionally, the common availability and lower cost
   has made chicken a common and significant meat product within developed
   nations. Growing concerns over the cholesterol content of red meat in
   the 1980s and 1990s further resulted in increased consumption of
   chicken.

   Another breed of chicken, the Leghorn, was further developed to be
   efficient layers of eggs. Egg production and consumption changed with
   the development of automation and refrigeration. Large farms were
   devoted solely to egg production and packaging. Today, eggs are
   produced on large egg ranches on which environmental parameters are
   well controlled. Chickens are exposed to artificial light cycles to
   stimulate egg production year-round. In addition, it is a common
   practice to induce molt through careful manipulation of light and the
   amount of food they receive in order to further increase egg size and
   production.

   On average, a chicken lays one egg a day, however this varies from
   breed to time of year. For example, a Barred Plymouth Rock may lay one
   egg a day during the spring, summer and fall. But the same chicken may
   not lay at all during the winter. However, a chicken bred specifically
   for egg-laying may occasionally lay two eggs a day, and if housed
   correctly may lay all through the winter.

   Often, people in developing countries keep chickens for their eggs and
   meat.

Issues with mass production

Humane Treatment

   Many animal welfare advocates object to killing chickens for food or to
   the " factory farm conditions" under which they are raised. They
   contend that commercial chicken production usually involves raising the
   birds in large, crowded rearing sheds that prevent the chickens from
   engaging in many of their natural behaviors.

   Chickens generally live five to ten years depending on the breed ;
   chickens raised for meat are slaughtered prior to sexual maturity (six
   weeks), and thus many of the aggressive behaviors seen in adult
   chickens (fighting, cannibalism) are seldom seen in meat-type chickens.
   This may also be due to the fact that both male and female chicks have
   the ends of the beaks cut off, as to reduce the injury they would
   otherwise do to each other in the crowded quarters they are raised in.
   The trimming of beaks is another controversial issue for individuals
   concerned with humane treatment of the animals, as it is done without
   anaesthesia and is a sensitive area. Some contend that the procedure
   causes lifelong discomfort.

   Although many would argue that the birds are not intelligent and thus
   not a high priority for humane treatment on farms, a woman once brought
   a chicken on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno where it played "Mary Had a
   Little Lamb" on a toy piano and bowled 3 strikes. Animal welfare groups
   such as PETA see these and other trained chickens as evidence that they
   are intelligent and sentient and should not be killed or eaten . Dr.
   Chris Evans of Macquarie University is even quoted as saying, "As a
   trick at conferences, I sometimes list these attributes, without
   mentioning chickens, and people think I’m talking about monkeys."

   Another animal welfare issue is the use of selective breeding to create
   heavy, large-breasted birds, which can lead to crippling leg disorders
   and heart failure for some of the birds. In addition, many scientists
   have raised concerns that companies growing one variety of bird for
   eggs or meat are causing them to become much more susceptible to
   disease. For this reason, many scientists are promoting the
   conservation of heritage breeds to retain genetic diversity in the
   species.

   In 2004, 8.9 billion chickens were slaughtered in the United States .

Human Concerns

   Antibiotics

   Because raising chickens in close quarters fosters the spread of
   disease, factory farms use antibiotics as a matter of course; many
   contend that this puts humans at risk as bacterial strains develop
   better and better resistances.

   A proposed bill would make the use of antibiotics in animal feed legal
   only for therapeutic (rather than preventative) use, but it has not
   been passed yet. Though this will certainly solve one problem, it does
   not address the fact that bacteria continue to develop resistances;
   hence, there is the risk of slaughtered chickens harboring these
   bacteria and passing them on to the humans that consume them.

   In October 2000, the FDA discovered that two antibiotics were no longer
   effective in treating diseases found in factory-farmed chickens; one
   antibiotic was willingly and swiftly pulled from the market, but the
   other, Baytril was not. Bayer, the company which produced it, contested
   the claim and as a result, Baytril remained in use until July of 2005.

   Arsenic

   Chickens feed can also include Roxarsone, an antimicrobial drug that
   also promotes growth. The drug has generated controversy because it
   contains the poisonous element arsenic, which can cause cancer,
   dementia, and neurological problems in humans. Though the arsenic in
   Roxarsone is not of the type which can cause cancer, a Consumer Reports
   study in 2004 discovered enough arsenic in samples of factory-farmed
   chicken to "cause neurological problems in a child who ate 2 ounces of
   cooked liver per week or in an adult who ate 5.5 ounces per week."

   Growth Hormones

   The use of growth hormones in chickens (they now grow to maturity twice
   as quickly as they would naturally) is also a concern as the people who
   eat chicken consume the hormones as well. Some believe that the
   increasingly earlier onset of puberty is the result of the liberal use
   of such hormones, which are also found in other meats, as well as
   dairy.

   E.Coli

   According to Consumer Reports, "1.1 million or more Americans
   [are]sickened each year by undercooked, tainted chicken." A USDA study
   discovered E.Coli in 99% of supermarket chicken, the result of chickens
   being raised in their own feces. Though E.Coli can usually be killed by
   proper cooking times, there is still some risk associated with it, and
   its near-ubiquity in commercially-farmed chicken is troubling to some.

   Avian Flu

   There is also a risk that the crowded conditions in many chicken farms
   will allow avian flu to spread quickly. A United Nations press release
   states: "Governments, local authorities and international agencies need
   to take a greatly increased role in combating the role of
   factory-farming, commerce in live poultry, and wildlife markets which
   provide ideal conditions for the virus to spread and mutate into a more
   dangerous form..."

Chicken diseases

   Baby chicks in a box
   Enlarge
   Baby chicks in a box

   Chickens are susceptible to parasites, including lice, mites, ticks,
   fleas, and intestinal Worms as well as many other diseases. (Despite
   the name, they are not affected by Chickenpox; it is a disease of
   humans, not chickens.)

   Some of the common diseases that affect chickens are shown below:
   Name                             Common Name         Caused by
   Aspergillosis                                        fungi
   Avian influenza                  bird flu            virus
   Blackhead disease                                    virus
   Botulism                                             toxin
   Cage Layer Fatigue                                   small cage
   Coccidiosis                                          parasites
   Colds                                                virus
   Crop Bound                                           improper feeding
   Egg bound                                            oversised egg
   Erysipelas                                           bacteria
   Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome                     high-energy food
   Fowl Cholera                                         bacteria
   Fowl pox                                             virus
   Fowl Typhoid                                         bacteria
   Gallid herpesvirus 1
   or Infectious Laryngotracheitis                      virus
   Gapeworms                                            worms
   Infectious Bronchitis                                virus
   Infectious Bursal Disease        Gumboro             virus
   Infectious Coryza                                    bacteria
   Lymphoid Leucosis
   Marek's disease                                      virus
   Moniliasis                       Yeast Infection
                                    or Thrush           fungi
   Mycoplasmas                                          bacteria-like organisms
   Newcastle disease                                    virus
   Necrotic Enteritis                                   bacteria
   Omphalitis                       Mushy chick disease umbilical cord stump
   Prolapse
   Psittacosis                                          bacteria
   Pullorum                         Salmonella          bacteria
   Scaly leg                                            parasites
   Squamous cell carcinoma                              cancer
   Tibial dyschondroplasia                              speed growing
   Toxoplasmosis                                        parasites
   Ulcerative Enteritis                                 bacteria

Chickens in religion

   Chickens, Indonesia
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   Chickens, Indonesia

   In Indonesia the chicken has great significance during the Hindu
   cremation ceremony. A chicken is a channel for evil spirits which may
   be present during the ceremony. A chicken is tethered by the leg and
   kept present at the ceremony for the duration to ensure that any evil
   spirits present during the ceremony go into the chicken and not the
   family members present. The chicken is then taken home and returns to
   its normal life. It is not treated in any special way or slaughtered
   after the ceremony.

   In ancient Greece, the chicken was not normally used for sacrifices,
   perhaps because it was still considered an exotic animal. Because of
   its valour, cocks are found as attributes of Ares, Heracles and Athena.
   The alleged last words of Socrates as he died from hemlock poisoning,
   as recounted by Plato, were "Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you
   remember to pay the debt?", signififying that death was a cure for the
   illness of life.

   The Greeks believed that even lions were afraid of cocks. Several of
   Aesop's Fables reference this belief. In the cult of Mithras, the cock
   was a symbol of the divine light and a guardian against evil.

   In the Bible, Jesus prophesied the betrayal by Peter: "And he said, I
   tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou
   shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." ( Luke 22:43) Thus it happened
   (Luke 22:61), and Peter cried bitterly. This made the cock a symbol for
   both vigilance and betrayal.

   Earlier, Jesus compares himself to a mother hen, when talking about
   Jerusalem: "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even
   as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (
   Matthew 23:37; also Luke 13:34).

   In many Central European folk tales, the devil is believed to flee at
   the first crowing of a cock.

   In traditional Jewish practice, a chicken is swung around the head and
   then slaughtered on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, the Day of
   Atonement, in a ritual called kapparos. The meat is then donated to the
   poor. A woman brings a hen for the ceremony, while a man brings a
   rooster. Although not actually a sacrifice in the biblical sense, the
   death of the chicken reminds the penitent sinner that his or her life
   is in God's hands.

   The Talmud speaks of learning "courtesy toward one's mate" from the
   rooster. This might refer to the fact that, when a rooster finds
   something good to eat, he calls his hens to eat first.

   The chicken is one of the Zodiac symbols of the Chinese calendar. Also
   in Chinese religion, a cooked chicken as a religious offering is
   usually limited to ancestor veneration and worship of village deities.
   Vegetarian deities such as Buddha are not one of the recipients of such
   offerings. Under some observations, an offering of chicken is presented
   with "serious" prayer (while roasted pork is offered during a joyous
   celebration). In Confucian Chinese Weddings, a chicken can be used as a
   substitute for one who is seriously ill or not available (e.g sudden
   death) to attend the ceremony. A red silk scarf is placed on the
   chicken's head and a close relative of the absent bride/groom holds the
   chicken so the ceremony may proceed. However this practice is rare
   today.

History

   Hen with newly hatched chicks
   Enlarge
   Hen with newly hatched chicks

   The first pictures of chickens in Europe are found on Corinthian
   pottery of the 7th century BC. The poet Cratinus (mid- 5th century BC,
   according to the later Greek author Athenaeus) calls the chicken "the
   Persian alarm". In Aristophanes's comedy The Birds ( 414 BC) a chicken
   is called "the Median bird", which points to an introduction from the
   East. Pictures of chickens are found on Greek red figure and
   black-figure pottery.

   In ancient Greece, chickens were still rare and were a rather
   prestigious food for symposia. Delos seems to have been a centre of
   chicken breeding.

   An early domestication of chickens in Southeast Asia is probable, since
   the word for domestic chicken (*manuk) is part of the reconstructed
   Proto-Austronesian language (see Austronesian languages). Chickens,
   together with dogs and pigs, were the domestic animals of the Lapita
   culture, the first Neolithic culture of Oceania.

   Chickens were spread by Polynesian seafarers and reached Easter Island
   in the 12th century AD, where they were the only domestic animal, with
   the possible exception of the Polynesian Rat (Rattus exulans). They
   were housed in extremely solid chicken coops built from stone.
   Traveling as cargo on trading boats, they reached the Asian continent
   via the islands of Indonesia and from there spread west to Europe and
   western Asia.

Chickens in ancient Rome

   The Romans used chickens for oracles, both when flying ("ex avibus")
   and when feeding ("auspicium ex tripudiis"). The hen ("gallina") gave a
   favourable omen ("auspicium ratum"), when appearing from the left
   (Cic.,de Div. ii.26), like the crow and the owl.

   For the oracle "ex tripudiis" according to Cicero (Cic. de Div. ii.34),
   any bird could be used, but normally only chickens ("pulli") were
   consulted. The chickens were cared for by the pullarius, who opened
   their cage and fed them pulses or a special kind of soft cake when an
   augury was needed. If the chickens stayed in their cage, made noises
   ("occinerent"), beat their wings or flew away, the omen was bad; if
   they ate greedily, the omen was good.

   In 249 BC, the Roman general Publius Claudius Pulcher had his chickens
   thrown overboard when they refused to feed before the battle of
   Drepana, saying "If they won't eat, perhaps they will drink." He
   promptly lost the battle against the Carthaginians and 93 Roman ships
   were sunk. Back in Rome, he was tried for impiety and heavily fined.

   In 161 BC a law was passed in Rome that forbade the consumption of
   fattened chickens. It was renewed a number of times, but does not seem
   to have been successful. Fattening chickens with bread soaked in milk
   was thought to give especially delicious results. The Roman gourmet
   Apicius offers 17 recipes for chicken, mainly boiled chicken with a
   sauce. All parts of the animal are used: the recipes include the
   stomach, liver, testicles and even the pygostyle (the fatty "tail" of
   the chicken where the tail feathers attach).

   The Roman author Columella gives advice on chicken breeding in his
   eighth book of his treatise on agriculture. He identifies Tanagrian,
   Rhodic, Chalkidic and Median (commonly misidentified as Melian) breeds,
   which have an impressive appearance, a quarrelsome nature and were used
   for cockfighting by the Greeks. For farming, native (Roman) chickens
   are to be preferred, or a cross between native hens and Greek cocks.
   Dwarf chickens are nice to watch because of their size but have no
   other advantages.

   Per Columella, the ideal flock consists of 200 birds, which can be
   supervised by one person if someone is watching for stray animals.
   White chickens should be avoided as they are not very fertile and are
   easily caught by eagles or goshawks. One cock should be kept for five
   hens. In the case of Rhodian and Median cocks that are very heavy and
   therefore not much inclined to sex, only three hens are kept per cock.
   The hens of heavy fowls are not much inclined to brood; therefore their
   eggs are best hatched by normal hens. A hen can hatch no more than
   15-23 eggs, depending on the time of year, and supervise no more than
   30 hatchlings. Eggs that are long and pointed give more male, rounded
   eggs mainly female hatchlings.

   Per Columella, Chicken coops should face southeast and lie adjacent to
   the kitchen, as smoke is beneficial for the animals. Coops should
   consist of three rooms and possess a hearth. Dry dust or ash should be
   provided for dust-baths.

   According to Columella, chicken should be fed on barley groats, small
   chick-peas, millet and wheat bran, if they are cheap. Wheat itself
   should be avoided as it is harmful to the birds. Boiled ryegrass
   (Lollium sp.) and the leaves and seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
   can be used as well. Grape marc can be used, but only when the hens
   stop laying eggs, that is, about the middle of November; otherwise eggs
   are small and few. When feeding grape marc, it should be supplemented
   with some bran. Hens start to lay eggs after the winter solstice, in
   warm places around the first of January, in colder areas in the middle
   of February. Parboiled barley increases their fertility; this should be
   mixed with alfalfa leaves and seeds, or vetches or millet if alfalfa is
   not at hand. Free-ranging chickens should receive two cups of barley
   daily.

   Columella advises farmers to slaughter hens that are older than three
   years, because they no longer produce sufficient eggs. Capons were
   produced by burning out their spurs with a hot iron. The wound was
   treated with potter's chalk.

   For the use of poultry and eggs in the kitchens of ancient Rome see
   Roman eating and drinking.

Chicken breeds

   Unless tamed, chickens will naturally nest in trees.
   Enlarge
   Unless tamed, chickens will naturally nest in trees.
     * Ac
     * Amber
     * Ameraucana
     * American Game Fowl
     * Ancona
     * Andalusian
     * Antwerp Belgian
     * Appenzell
     * Araucana
     * Åsbos
     * Asil (also known as Aseel)
     * Asturian Painted Hen
     * Augsburger
     * Australorp
     * Ayam Bekisar
     * Ayam Cemani
     * Bandara
     * Barbu d'Anver
     * Barbud d'Everberg
     * Bardu de Watermaal
     * Barnevelder
     * Barred Holland
     * Barred Plymouth Rock
     * Barthuhner
     * Baheij
     * Berat
     * Bergische Kraeher
     * Bielefelder
     * Bigawi
     * Black Rock
     * Blomme Höna
     * Blue Hen Chicken
     * Brabanter
     * Braekel / Brakel
     * Brahma
     * Breda Fowl
     * Bresse
     * Brinkotter
     * Buckeye
     * Buttercup
     * California Gray
     * Cambar
     * Campine
     * Castellana Negra
     * Catalana
     * Caumont
     * Cemani
     * Chabo
     * Chantecler
     * Chick Marley
     * Chity
     * Cochin
     * Coral
     * Cornish
     * Cream Legbar
     * Creve Coeur
     * Criolla
     * Croad Langshan
     * Cubalaya
     * Dandarawi
     * Delaware
     * Denizli fowl
     * Dominiques
     * Dorking
     * d'Uccle
     * Dutch
     * Faverolles

                                   * Fayoumi
                                   * Finnish
                                   * Friesland
                                   * Frizzle
                                   * Gallus Inauris
                                   * Gimmizah
                                   * Golden Montazah
                                   * Gotland
                                   * Gournay
                                   * Groningen Gull
                                   * Groninger Meeuwen
                                   * Guelderland
                                   * Hamburg
                                   * Hanayee
                                   * Hedemara Hen
                                   * Holland
                                   * Houdan
                                   * ISA Brown
                                   * Java
                                   * Jersey Giant
                                   * La Flèche
                                   * Lakenvelder
                                   * Lamona
                                   * Langshan
                                   * Leghorn
                                   * Loman
                                   * Malay
                                   * Marans
                                   * Matrouh
                                   * Mechelse koekoek
                                   * Minorca
                                   * Naked Neck
                                   * New Hampshire
                                   * Niederrheiner
                                   * Old English Game
                                   * Orloff
                                   * Orpington
                                   * Pavlov
                                   * Plymouth Rock
                                   * Polish
                                   * Poltava
                                   * Red Cap
                                   * Rhode Island Red
                                   * Rock
                                   * Saipan Jungle Fowl
                                   * Scots Dumpy
                                   * Scots Grey
                                   * Serama
                                   * Shamo
                                   * Silkie
                                   * Silver Montazah
                                   * Skånsk blommehöna
                                   * Smyth Line
                                   * Styrian
                                   * Sultan
                                   * Sumatra
                                   * Sussex
                                   * Swiss Hen
                                   * Welsumer
                                   * White-Faced Black Spanish
                                   * Winnebago
                                   * Wyandotte
                                   * Wybar
                                   * Yamato Gunkei
                                   * Yokohama
                                   * Yurlov Crower
                                   * Zireh E.

Famous chickens

Real chickens

     * Mike the Headless Chicken

Fictional chickens

     * Alecto and Galina, in Clemens Brentano's "The Tale of Gockel,
       Hinkel, and Gackeleia"
     * Billina the talking hen, from L. Frank Baum's Ozma of Oz
     * Burn Rooster, a Maverick with fire-elemental powers from the video
       game Mega Man X8 (made by Capcom)
     * Camilla the Chicken, the object of Gonzo (Muppet)'s affections.
     * Chanticleer, the rooster from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury
       Tales ("The Nun's Priest's Tale")
     * Chanticleer, the Elvis Presley-like rooster in the Don Bluth film
       Rock-a-Doodle; presumably named for the Chaucer rooster.
     * Chicken, from the Cow and Chicken cartoon series
     * Chicken Boo, from Animaniacs
     * Chicken Little, the chicken that thought the sky was falling when
       an acorn landed on its head
     * Chicken Man, from Chicken Man (radio series)
     * Cuccos (also Hylian Cuccos) are a breed of chickens or chicken-like
       birds which feature prominently in latter installments of the
       Legend of Zelda series.
     * Fission Chicken, the Chicken of Wrath, grouchy superhero
     * Foghorn Leghorn, the rooster and Looney Tunes character
     * Le coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel) opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, with a
       magical cock that is supposed to crow to warn the king of advancing
       enemies
     * Le galline penseuse of Luigi Malerba (Einaudi, 1980)
     * Ginger, the protagonist of the movie Chicken Run
     * The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg was originally a chicken in some
       older versions
     * Jonathan Segal Chicken, a 1973 book written by Sol Weinstein and
       Howard Albrecht, parodying Jonathan Livingston Seagull
     * The Little Red Hen, who asked everyone in the barnyard to help bake
       bread
     * The vicious Chicken of Bristol, who was nearly stood up to by Brave
       Sir Robin, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
     * Little Jerry Seinfeld, a fighting cock appearing in " The Little
       Jerry" (episode 145) of Seinfeld
     * Joey and Chandler's chicken from Friends, who eventually became a
       rooster, died some time later and was succeeded by Chick, Jr.
     * The Rooster Prince is a parable written by Rabbi Nachman of
       Breslov, in which a prince goes insane and believes himself to be a
       rooster (in some English translations of the tale, the species of
       bird is a turkey)
     * The San Diego Chicken
     * Sweety the Chick, an animated character with a ringtone
     * The Subservient Chicken, part of a viral marketing promotion
     * Lord Chicken the Great; see Leongatha
     * Ultra Mega Chicken is a legendary chicken raised from the dead by
       Billy Witch Doctor in Aqua Teen Hunger Force
     * Roy, Booker and Sheldon from U.S. Acres
     * King Chicken, from Duckman
     * Little John, Bubble, Bubble Junior,Pop, Araucana 1, Araucana II,
       Buffy Araucana, Mary and Sheepy are the chickens of a popular ABC
       television show set in Turramurra, Sydney, Australia called The
       chickens of Warragal Road; the series ran from 1983 to 1985.
     * The 'Yellow Chicken' that violently and restlessly fights Peter in
       Family Guy has become one of the most beloved characters on the TV
       show
     * Robot Chicken, a television series that appears on Adult Swim,
       features a mad scientist in the opening theme bringing a roadkill
       chicken to life in cyborg form. The show itself is a stop-motion
       sketch comedy, featuring sements which generally have nothing to do
       with chicken(s).
     * Charles the Rooster in Walter R. Brooks' " Freddy the Pig" Series
     * Henerietta the Hen in Walter R. Brooks' " Freddy the Pig" Series
     * Super Chicken, an animated television cartoon character
     * Alan-a-Dale, the Rooster in Disney's Robin Hood
     * Gamecocks, chickens used by Masa Tom Lea and others in the book,
       Roots: The Saga of an American Family, and in the tv miniseries
       Roots
     * The Chickens in DreamWorks' Chicken Run
     * The two chickens in the Foster Farms commercials
     * The Rooster logo for Dickhouse Productions company for the tv show
       Jackass

Mythical creatures with chicken-like anatomy

     * The hut of the Russian witch Baba Yaga moves on chicken feet
     * The demon Abraxas, often depicted on " Gnostic gems" has a cock's
       head, the upper body of a man, while his lower part is formed by a
       snake. He often holds a whip.
     * The Basilisk, a giant snake who kills with a single glance and
       poisons wells, was hatched by a toad from a hen's egg. The Basilisk
       will die if it hears a rooster crowing.
     * The cockatrice

Chicken as symbol

     * The cock is a national symbol of France and is used as an
       (unofficial) national mascot, in particular for sports teams. See
       also: Gallic rooster.
     * The Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) independent party ZANU party used a
       chicken as a symbol, since a majority of Rhodesian citizens (mostly
       native African black) were analphabetic due to lack of school
       funding for the poor, so they use symbol or mascot to identify
       their political party.
     * The mascot of the English Premiership team Tottenham Hotspur is a
       cockerel.
     * The standard of Sir Robin from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a
       chicken.
     * The town of Denizli in Republic of Turkey is symbolized by a cock.
     * Sydney Roosters Australian rugby league team
     * The Rhode Island Red is the state bird of Rhode Island.
     * Pathé corporate logo
     * The athletic teams of the University of South Carolina "The USC"
       (the original USC) use the Gamecock (the fighting cock) as mascot
       and use the "Gamecocks" as their moniker.
     * Fighting Cock brand of Bourbon uses a mean rooster as their
       trademark.
     * The State Bird of Delaware is the Blue Hen, as well being the
       Mascot for the University of Delaware sports teams.

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