Poultry Free Online

Poultry farming, rising of birds domestically or commercially, primarily for meat and eggs but also for feathers. For a discussion of the food value and processing of poultry products, see egg and poultry processing. Chickens are medium-sized, chunky birds with an upright stance and characterized by fleshy red combs and wattles on their heads. Males, referred to as cocks, are usually larger, more boldly colored, and have more exaggerated plumage than females (hens). Chickens are gregarious, omnivorous, ground-dwelling birds that in their natural surroundings search among the leaf litter for seeds, invertebrates, and other small animals. They seldom fly except as results of perceived danger, preferring to run into the undergrowth if approached. Today's domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is especially descended from the wild red jungle fowl of Asia, with some additional input from grey jungle fowl. Domestication is believed to possess taken place between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago, and what are thought to be fossilized chicken bones are found in northeastern China dated to around 5,400 BC. Archaeologists believe domestication was originally for the aim of cockfighting, the male bird being a doughty fighter. By 4,000 years ago, chickens seem to possess reached the Indus Valley and 250 years later, they arrived in Egypt.    

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