Chicken
The chicken was first domesticated about 8,000 years ago. It is a common domestic animal throughout the world that is used for its meat and eggs, and is sometimes kept as a pet.
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Aves
Order - Galliformes
Family - Phasianidae
Genus - Gallus
Species & Subspecies – G. gallus domesticus
Common Names – Chicken
Chickens are social animals, living in large groups and raising their babies (called chicks) together. Hierarchies exist in chicken flocks, with female chickens (called hens) establishing their dominance over others. This is known as “pecking order”, a phrase that has since become commonly used to describe any kind of hierarchy structure.
There are hundreds of breeds of chicken currently recognized. Different breeds are distinguished by many factors including their overall size, the color of their feathers or skin, the color of their eggs, or the style of their feathers.
Chickens are rounded, stocky birds with small wings. They are fairly large, though their weight can vary greatly depending on the breed. Coloration is also highly varied by breed. Though the chicken’s wild ancestor can fly, most domestic chickens can only fly over short distances.
They usually have distinctive areas on their head that lack feathers, including a ridged crest called a comb, and dangling flaps called wattles. Males (called roosters) have more pronounced combs and wattles.
The domestication of chickens is thought to have begun in Thailand sometime around 8,000 years ago. The wild ancestor of the chicken is the red junglefowl, though DNA studies point to other birds being involved in early domestic breeding, including the grey junglefowl, Sri Lanka junglefowl and green junglefowl.
After becoming established in Southeast Asia, the domestic chicken spread to China around 2,000 years later. From there, they spread throughout the world.
The total number of domestic chickens worldwide is somewhere in the tens of billions. They are used primarily for their meat and eggs, which are eaten throughout the world.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken
https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/articles/origin-and-history-of-the-chicken/
Safari Ltd Chicken Toys
Safari Ltd Life Cycle of a Chicken Figure Set
Farm TOOB Set with Chicken and Rooster Mini Figures
Down on the Farm TOOB Set with Rooster Mini Figure
Farm Babies TOOB Set with Chicks Mini Figure
Jamestown Settlers TOOB Set with Chicken Mini Figure