The domesticated form of the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia, first tamed around 8,000 years ago. Kept for meat and eggs and as pets, there were more than 26.5 billion chickens in 2023.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Kept mainly for meat and eggs, though some are kept as pets.
Do people eat it?Yes
More than 50 billion are raised each year for meat, and laying hens can produce 300 eggs a year.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatFarmland
ColoursWhite, Brown, Black
SizeSmall
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for5–10 years
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Farmed worldwide. Its wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, comes from Southeast Asia.
- What it eats
- An omnivore. Chickens scratch at the soil for seeds and insects, and even take animals as large as lizards.
Did you know
There are over 26 billion of them alive at any one time.
A hen bred for laying can produce more than 300 eggs a year.
Often confused with
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