Chicken

Chicken is a hen which refers to a species of poultry. It is raised in many places for its meat and eggs.^[1] They are usually kept by humans as livestock. Some breeds of chickens can fly for a short distance. Some sleep in trees (if there are trees around).

Gallus gallus domesticus
A cock (left) and a hen (right)
Conservation status
Domesticated
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Genus:	Gallus
Species:	G. gallus
Subspecies:	G. g. domesticus
Trinomial name
Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

A male chicken is called a cock or a rooster. A female chicken is called a hen. A young chicken is called a chick. Like other female birds, hens lay eggs. Chicks hatch out of the eggs.

When raising chickens, a farmer needs a chicken coop (like a little house) for the chickens to roost (sleep) in. They also need a run or yard where they can exercise, take dust baths, eat and drink. The chickens also need to be protected from predators such as foxes, coyotes, and hawks too. Fences are often used for this.^[2]

Chickens are also agriculturally farmed intensively. This lets chicken farms make a lot of chicken meats and chicken eggs.

Eggs

Main article: Egg (food)

The egg from a chicken.

Chickens are well known for their eggs. Many people eat them for their breakfast.^[3] The eggs can be prepared in many different ways, such as boiling them, frying them, etc.^[4]

Meat

Main article: Chicken as food

KFC Fried chicken served with rice and ketchup in Malaysia

Because of their low cost, chicken meat (also called "chicken") is one of the most used kinds of meat in the world. Americans eat 8 billion chickens every year.^[5] Some popular dishes with chicken are: Buffalo wings, butter chicken, chicken rice, chicken nuggets, chicken pot pie, chicken soup, fried chicken (see picture), roasted chicken, tandoori chicken.^[6]

Cuts

There are different cuts of chicken. Chicken meat can also be bought whole. The leanest part is known as the breast. Sliced pieces of the breast are known as the tenderloin. There are also wings, thighs, and legs (also known as drumsticks).^[7]

Chickens and chickenpox

Chickenpox has nothing to do with chickens. When chickenpox was first described, people thought that the pox spots looked like chickpeas placed upon the skin. The Latin word for chickpeas is grana. That is the original word that chickenpox got its name from.^[8]

Gaming

Two gamecocks fighting in a rural village in Thailand.

In some parts of the world, people breed chickens to fight. They bet money on which of the two birds will win. In many places, this is illegal.