Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus

The chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, is the domestic form of junglefowl and the world's most widespread poultry species. Chickens include egg-laying breeds, meat breeds, dual-purpose farm birds, bantams, gamefowl, and many ornamental lines selected for comb type, feathering, size, color, and body shape. Roosters, hens, pullets, cockerels, and chicks all have different management needs, but they share core traits: scratching for food, dust bathing, roosting at night, and living within a flock hierarchy.

People keep chickens in backyards, homesteads, farms, schools, rescue settings, and breeding programs, so care should match the purpose of the flock. A safe coop needs ventilation, dry bedding, roosts, nest boxes for laying hens, and strong predator protection. Feed changes by age and use, from chick starter to layer ration or meat-bird diets, with calcium supplied separately when appropriate. Flock owners also manage biosecurity, parasites, heat stress, local ordinances, and rooster behavior. Breed choice should reflect climate, temperament, egg goals, growth rate, and whether birds will be confined or allowed supervised range.