ANIMAL: Domestic Chicken Gallus domesticus Type of Animal: Gamebird Habitat: Farms, suburban areas, urban areas Location(s): Worldwide Appearance: Come in many different colorations depending on breed. Roosters have large crest on head & wattle on neck & are larger than hens which have smaller crest & wattle. Food/Diet: Chicken feed, grains, herbs, leaves, seeds, insects, grubs, insect larvae, mice, grasses, weeds, veggies especially greens, soybeans, corn, worms, berries, nuts, fruit, centipedes, small lizards, baby turtles, caecilians Status in Wild: Domesticated Conservation: Breeding on farms. Bred for meat & eggs. Lifestyle: Flocks led by dominant rooster. Some very large flocks have several roosters, each w/ many hens, along w/ some capons (castrated males). Flocks can number up to 100 birds. Additional Info: Called: Male-Rooster Female-Hen Young-Chick Group-Flock Weight: Male-2-15 lbs Female-1.5-9 lbs Young-3.2 oz Gestation: 20 days Height: Male-1.25-1.6 ft Female-0.9-1.25 ft Body Length: Male-8.16 in Female-6.96 in Life Span: 5-10 years, sometimes up to 20 years Tail Length: Male-3.96-14.04 in Female-1.92-12 in Main predators of adults are canids, chimps, civets, snakes, crocodilians, red pandas, felids, monitor lizards, bears, raccoons, mustelids, raptors, skunks, opossums, Tasmanian devils, quolls, monkeys, baboons, mongooses, coatis, & ravens. Rats, pigs, corvids, & hornbills prey on chicks. Probably most common domestic animal in world w/ more than 24 billion. Derived from Jungefowl from S.E. Asia. Usually only roosters crow & cock-a-doodle-doo is actually a territorial call. Fun Fact(s): Chickens play important roles in many cultures worldwide. Due to rooster’s natural habit of fighting rival roosters, cockfighting very popular in Latin America, India, Pakistan & S.E. Asia. Illegal in many Western nations. It’s become rather popular to raise chicken eggs in suburban & even, urban areas. Hens can lay eggs w/o a rooster. Rooster only needed to fertilize eggs. Usually very docile birds though some roosters very aggressive (many quite docile).
