Chicken

Chicken

Scientific name: Gallus domesticus

Chickens are a domesticated animal. They are believed to be descended from the red junglefowl. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird. This is largely due to the farming industry; more than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food. Chickens are reared for their eggs, as well as their meat.

Chickens are characterised by their long, thin legs and by the feathers that cover their bodies. Adult chickens have a fleshy red crest on the top of their heads, known as a comb. Males are known as cocks or roosters and females are known as hens.

  1. Diet

    Chickens are omnivores. They mostly eat seeds, grains, plants and small insects.

  2. Size Fact

    Larger breeds of chicken can weigh up to 3.5 kg.

  3. Fun Fact

    Chickens are not natural flyers: the longest recorded chicken flight was a mere 13 seconds long!

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