Chickens are known for being either farm or domestic birds. The usual lifespan of a chicken is between 10 to 15 years. Male chickens (known as a cockerel or a rooster) has significantly brighter and more colourful plumage and are much larger in size than females. This brightly coloured plumage is a common feature within most birds. Males birds tend to show off their colorful plumage (feathers) to attract females.


Unbelievably there are more chickens in the world than any other type of bird. In fact and more incredibly, more than 50 billion chickens are reared as family pets or as a source of food, for both their eggs and their meat, annually.


A chicken has a fleshy piece of skin called a ‘comb’ on the top of its head and two fleshy pieces under its neck called a ‘wattle’. The male usually has a larger comb compared to female chickens. The female is called a hen and younger baby chickens are referred to as chicks. Surprisingly a hen is usually ready to lay her first batch of eggs when she is only around 6 months old.


What do chickens eat?


Chickens are known as gregarious birds and live together within a flock with a distinct and organised hierarchy (or also known as a pecking order). Chickens naturally spend the majority of their day foraging for food by scratching around in the dirt looking for seeds and insects.


Chickens are known to eat insects,worms, seeds, grains, slugs / snails, vegetables, fruits, and a wide variety of other foods. Unknowingly to many, the chicken’s gizzard (a part of the stomach) contains very tiny stones which help grind up food that the chicken ingests.


A unique characteristic of a cockerel is demonstrated when he discovers food. Cockerels are known for calling out to his flock of female hens to join him and eat. He does this by clucking in an extremely high pitch while picking up and dropping the food repeatedly. This behaviour can also be demonstrated by mother hens when calling their chicks.
Who are the chicken's enemies?


Chickens are very vulnerable to larger predators such as hawks, skunks, snakes, owls, and most commonly, foxes. Extra precautions should be made to the chickens roaming area to prevent attacks from predators. Adding additional chicken wire to fences, or adding large stones around fences can often prevent foxes from digging into the chickens homes.


Breeds of chickens (Exotic breeds)(Breeds)


There are approximately over 175 varieties of breeds of chickens. They are grouped into 12 classes and around 60 breeds based on geographical locations:
American, Asiatic, Continental, Mediterranean and English.


The different breeds


Bantams - A miniature chicken breed.
Leghorns - The most popular commercial breed. Commonly found in white in color.
Marans - A small breed preferred for their eggs over their meat.
Plymouth Rock - Discovered originally in the United States.
Rhode Island Red Chicken - A popular breed. Commonly raised for their eggs and meat.


The life cycle of a chicken


A hen doesn’t require a rooster in order for her to lay eggs. However, the eggs won’t hatch due to them not being fertilized. Chicken eggs come in a variety of colors such as white, brown, green, blue and even pink! Most chickens will often stop laying eggs when the weather turns colder. They will begin laying again when the weather gradually becomes warmer again.


What is the duration for an egg to hatch?


A hen can lay up to an average of 300 eggs annually. The hen will sit upon her eggs to keep them warm; this is needed to incubate the eggs until they’re ready to hatch into chicks. A fertilized egg will begin developing into a chicken when the eggs temperature reaches 86 degrees fahrenheit. The egg will take 21 days to hatch.Learn more about chickens