Chickens are domestic birds. Dogs and cats are also domestic. You can usually find chickens on farms. They provide eggs and meat for the farmers.
On many farms, chickens can roam free during the day, and sleep peacefully inside the safety of a chicken coop at night. This keeps them away from foxes and other hunger predators. There are several different shapes and sizes of coops, each having different advantages. Some coops have runs. Runs are fenced in areas connected to the coop which allow chickens to roam in a certain amount of space given. All chicken coops protect chickens from the cold and wet weather outside and have nesting boxes for hens to lay their eggs.
Sometimes, farmers decide to let their chickens live outside. Chickens that are allowed to do this are called free-range. They get plenty of sun and fresh air during the day as well as shelter when they need it. These chickens are fed by farmers but also have the ability to search for food on their own.
Chickens are sometimes even kept in large chicken farms where thousands of chickens are crowded together in factory-like sheds. These chickens live in here their entire life and never get to feel the warmth of the sun or see the wonder of seasons. This is very unnatural.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Different Types of Chickens
There are way too many different types of chickens to count. It’s hard to believe that they all descended from the same ancestor, the wild Red Jungle Fowl of India and Southeast Asia. And they still exist today! Farmers began taming these chickens thousands of years ago and later spread throughout the world. Eventually, hundreds of different breeds of chickens developed and are now seen at many farms and zoos.
Some chickens are cold climate chickens and some are warm climate chickens. One difference between the two is the way the coop is required to be built depending on the temperature needed.
Larger chickens are great for meat but don’t lay as many eggs. When they do lay eggs, though, they are usually brown. Smaller chickens aren’t as useful for meat but are great layers. Their eggs are white. Some chickens are all-purpose. They are good for meat as well as for eggs. They lay brown eggs. Its more usual to see these chickens at smaller farms
Most chickens today are produced by mating or crossing different breeds. They are called hybrid birds. This gives farmers many advantages such as more eggs or a larger amount of meat.
Some chickens are used for show. These are stranger and fancier chickens. Some lay an odd size or number of eggs while some have more fluff or interestingly colored feathers. These chickens are fun to have around and bring more excitement to the farm.
Some chickens are cold climate chickens and some are warm climate chickens. One difference between the two is the way the coop is required to be built depending on the temperature needed.
Larger chickens are great for meat but don’t lay as many eggs. When they do lay eggs, though, they are usually brown. Smaller chickens aren’t as useful for meat but are great layers. Their eggs are white. Some chickens are all-purpose. They are good for meat as well as for eggs. They lay brown eggs. Its more usual to see these chickens at smaller farms
Most chickens today are produced by mating or crossing different breeds. They are called hybrid birds. This gives farmers many advantages such as more eggs or a larger amount of meat.
Some chickens are used for show. These are stranger and fancier chickens. Some lay an odd size or number of eggs while some have more fluff or interestingly colored feathers. These chickens are fun to have around and bring more excitement to the farm.
Chicken Appearance
Chickens come in various colors, shapes, and sizes, but they have the same basic body structure.
First off, they all have a comb on top of their head and a wattle underneath their beak. Roosters usually have larger combs and wattles. All chickens also have two legs and two wings. They are all covered with feathers with a tail sticking up at an angle to the body sometimes with feathers that drop all the way to the ground.
Similar to people, chickens come in many different colors. Some chickens are mostly neutral colors while some have unique color combinations, speckles, or stripes. Besides just white, black, and brown, chickens also come in gold, silver, red, blue, and green.
Chickens usually have a rather small head, with a strong, pointy beak. They have plumb bodies and their breast is keel-shaped like a boat.
Their legs are covered with scales. Some breeds have poofy feathers growing from beneath them, covering their legs. They have nice, sharp claws that help them walk and grip things. Chickens are better at walking than flying but can flutter up to a perch.
First off, they all have a comb on top of their head and a wattle underneath their beak. Roosters usually have larger combs and wattles. All chickens also have two legs and two wings. They are all covered with feathers with a tail sticking up at an angle to the body sometimes with feathers that drop all the way to the ground.
Similar to people, chickens come in many different colors. Some chickens are mostly neutral colors while some have unique color combinations, speckles, or stripes. Besides just white, black, and brown, chickens also come in gold, silver, red, blue, and green.
Chickens usually have a rather small head, with a strong, pointy beak. They have plumb bodies and their breast is keel-shaped like a boat.
Their legs are covered with scales. Some breeds have poofy feathers growing from beneath them, covering their legs. They have nice, sharp claws that help them walk and grip things. Chickens are better at walking than flying but can flutter up to a perch.
Diet
Chickens that roam free mostly find food for themselves. They use much of their body to do so.
Picking worms from the ground is easy for chickens because of their sharp beak. Grubs and other little insects from the ground can be eaten by chickens. Chickens don’t have teeth so they can only eat smaller pieces of foods. Chickens kept mostly in a coop need to be fed grit to help them digest their food.
Their claws help also help them pick out their food from the ground. Chickens tear out weeds and gently dig for something to eat. Many farmers take advantage of this and make sure they tear out weeds that are in the way of what the farmer needs to get to. Then he/she doesn’t have to.
Chickens that mostly live in a coop or kept inside a run, eat some other foods too. They will eat grain, seeds, fruit, other vegetation, or insects. Chickens aren’t very picky when choosing what to eat so just giving them some leftovers from lunch is a very nice treat.
It’s very important for chickens to get enough calcium. A good amount of calcium for a hen will lead to healthy newborn chicks or yummy eggs, which leads to a happy farmer. The calcium helps for a harder egg shell.
Picking worms from the ground is easy for chickens because of their sharp beak. Grubs and other little insects from the ground can be eaten by chickens. Chickens don’t have teeth so they can only eat smaller pieces of foods. Chickens kept mostly in a coop need to be fed grit to help them digest their food.
Their claws help also help them pick out their food from the ground. Chickens tear out weeds and gently dig for something to eat. Many farmers take advantage of this and make sure they tear out weeds that are in the way of what the farmer needs to get to. Then he/she doesn’t have to.
Chickens that mostly live in a coop or kept inside a run, eat some other foods too. They will eat grain, seeds, fruit, other vegetation, or insects. Chickens aren’t very picky when choosing what to eat so just giving them some leftovers from lunch is a very nice treat.
It’s very important for chickens to get enough calcium. A good amount of calcium for a hen will lead to healthy newborn chicks or yummy eggs, which leads to a happy farmer. The calcium helps for a harder egg shell.
Chickens' Behaviors
The groups that chickens live in are called flocks Chickens are very social birds. But they are often aggressive toward each other.
They have a “pecking order” which is the order of the weakest bird to the strongest. Chickens dominate the weaker birds especially when they are competing for food or a nest.
Chickens are noisy like many other birds. They often cluck at each other and roosters’ cock-a-doodle-doo at dawn.
Chickens are not very fond of water. So instead of taking a bath in water, they like to take dust-baths. They like to keep their feathers in good condition so they also stroke themselves with their beaks.
When chickens aren’t feeding or exercising, chickens enjoy taking a nap by perching about the ground on a branch or pole. Most times the chickens stand on one leg. The muscles lock into place so when they are resting, they won’t fall off of the perch.
Like back in the day, chickens still peck and scratch at the ground to fine yummy food for the day. Even though it is many years later, chickens are still the same animal as before.
They have a “pecking order” which is the order of the weakest bird to the strongest. Chickens dominate the weaker birds especially when they are competing for food or a nest.
Chickens are noisy like many other birds. They often cluck at each other and roosters’ cock-a-doodle-doo at dawn.
Chickens are not very fond of water. So instead of taking a bath in water, they like to take dust-baths. They like to keep their feathers in good condition so they also stroke themselves with their beaks.
When chickens aren’t feeding or exercising, chickens enjoy taking a nap by perching about the ground on a branch or pole. Most times the chickens stand on one leg. The muscles lock into place so when they are resting, they won’t fall off of the perch.
Like back in the day, chickens still peck and scratch at the ground to fine yummy food for the day. Even though it is many years later, chickens are still the same animal as before.
Mating Chickens
Small farms often have a young rooster also called a cockerel. Its smart to only have one cockerel or else they would get jealous of each other and fight over the hens.
Mating is usually year round but chickens don’t seem to mate as much in winter. A rooster will mate every two or three days, mating with many different hens.
During the day, the cockerel prances around fluffing his feathers, showing off to the hens. When a hen wants to make, she lays down on the ground. The rooster climbs onto her back from behind and spreads his wings out for balance.
Afterwards, the hen has fertilized eggs inside her. Only eggs that have been fertilized by a rooster will eventually grow into chicks. If the eggs are not fertilized, they are safe to eat.
Mating is usually year round but chickens don’t seem to mate as much in winter. A rooster will mate every two or three days, mating with many different hens.
During the day, the cockerel prances around fluffing his feathers, showing off to the hens. When a hen wants to make, she lays down on the ground. The rooster climbs onto her back from behind and spreads his wings out for balance.
Afterwards, the hen has fertilized eggs inside her. Only eggs that have been fertilized by a rooster will eventually grow into chicks. If the eggs are not fertilized, they are safe to eat.
The Laying of Eggs
For most of a hen’s life, she is laying both fertile and unfertile, eating eggs. Hens usually only lay one egg a day.
Hens like having a nice, tight nesting box to lay her eggs. Nesting boxes are made from wood and usually have hay at the bottom of them.
Hens like laying eggs in dark, warm places rather than light, cooler places. In the wild, they use a hollow on he ground and sometimes find corners of a farmyard.
The shell of eggs when first laid are usually moist but it air dries fairly quickly. When the days become longer, hens lay more eggs. As the days get shorter, the amount of eggs they lay gets lower and lower until winter when they don’t lay any eggs at all. Occasionally, they lay eggs all year round.
Hens like having a nice, tight nesting box to lay her eggs. Nesting boxes are made from wood and usually have hay at the bottom of them.
Hens like laying eggs in dark, warm places rather than light, cooler places. In the wild, they use a hollow on he ground and sometimes find corners of a farmyard.
The shell of eggs when first laid are usually moist but it air dries fairly quickly. When the days become longer, hens lay more eggs. As the days get shorter, the amount of eggs they lay gets lower and lower until winter when they don’t lay any eggs at all. Occasionally, they lay eggs all year round.
Inside the Egg
A chicken’s egg is a wonderful thing. It provides things that soon-to-be-chicks need to help them grow and unfertilized eggs are delicious and nutritious.
The shell of a fertilized egg protects the embryo as it grows and prevents dirt and germs from getting inside the egg. When the egg is first laid, the chick is nothing but a tiny white disc.
For a chick to grow correctly and to hatch, the egg needs to be kept warm or incubated. After the egg is laid, the hen will sit on it and occasionally rotate it to warm it evenly. The nest should be damp too. If it isn’t, the egg will dry out and die.
As the days pass by, the chick gets bigger and bigger inside of the egg. The body begins to form, and then in three days, the embryo has a heart and blood. The egg is ready to hatch in 21 days.
The shell of a fertilized egg protects the embryo as it grows and prevents dirt and germs from getting inside the egg. When the egg is first laid, the chick is nothing but a tiny white disc.
For a chick to grow correctly and to hatch, the egg needs to be kept warm or incubated. After the egg is laid, the hen will sit on it and occasionally rotate it to warm it evenly. The nest should be damp too. If it isn’t, the egg will dry out and die.
As the days pass by, the chick gets bigger and bigger inside of the egg. The body begins to form, and then in three days, the embryo has a heart and blood. The egg is ready to hatch in 21 days.
Hatching into Young Chicks
A couple of days before the chick hatches, you can here cheeps coming out of the egg. The hen waits, excited to see her new baby.
The day comes for the chick to start hatching. It’s a very hard job for the chick. It first has to peck a line down the center of the egg. Then, the chick has to peck through that line even harder and then actually get out of the egg. It can take up to 14 hours for this process.
The chick comes out wet. After a couple of hours, the fluffy, yellow coat will dry.
Once the chick is out of its egg, it waits for its siblings. All the chicks take a really long nap when they are all together. They don’t get too hungry because they still have some food left in them from when they were in the egg.
When the chicks finally wake up, they start exploring and getting some food.
The day comes for the chick to start hatching. It’s a very hard job for the chick. It first has to peck a line down the center of the egg. Then, the chick has to peck through that line even harder and then actually get out of the egg. It can take up to 14 hours for this process.
The chick comes out wet. After a couple of hours, the fluffy, yellow coat will dry.
Once the chick is out of its egg, it waits for its siblings. All the chicks take a really long nap when they are all together. They don’t get too hungry because they still have some food left in them from when they were in the egg.
When the chicks finally wake up, they start exploring and getting some food.
Growing Up Chicken
Only a couple of weeks after the chicks are hatched and they are starting to grow their new feathers. For a while, it’s hard to distinguish which chicks are male and which are female. But after sometime, the comb and wattle will grow bigger on the males and the hen will stay smaller.
Young hens are called pullets. Pullets are mostly for egg-laying. They will start to lay eggs at five months but can’t start laying fertile eggs until a year old. Chickens lay most of their eggs their first year. Then a little less their second year. And so on.
If a chicken wasn’t killed for meat and was treated okay, the chicken could live up to 12 years. Think about how many eggs that would be in all.
Young hens are called pullets. Pullets are mostly for egg-laying. They will start to lay eggs at five months but can’t start laying fertile eggs until a year old. Chickens lay most of their eggs their first year. Then a little less their second year. And so on.
If a chicken wasn’t killed for meat and was treated okay, the chicken could live up to 12 years. Think about how many eggs that would be in all.
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