Recent genomic study involving the four extant Junglefowl species reveals that the domestication of chicken, the most populous poultry species, how long is cooked ground turkey good for around 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia – although this was previously believed to have occurred later – around 5,400 years ago – in Southeast Asia. Middle English pulet, from Old French polet, both from Latin pullus, a young fowl, young animal or chicken.

Both words are also used for the flesh of these birds. Male and female chicken sitting together. 3 Japanese quails less than 1 year old. Chickens are medium-sized, chunky birds with an upright stance and characterised by fleshy red combs and wattles on their heads.

Archaeological evidence supports domestic chickens in Southeast Asia well before 6000 BC, China by 6000 BC and India by 2000 BC. By 2000 BC, chickens seem to have reached the Indus Valley and 250 years later, they arrived in Egypt. They were still used for fighting and were regarded as symbols of fertility. Since their domestication, a large number of breeds of chickens have been established, but with the exception of the white Leghorn, most commercial birds are of hybrid origin. A bantam is a small variety of domestic chicken, either a miniature version of a member of a standard breed, or a “true bantam” with no larger counterpart.

Cockfighting is said to be the world’s oldest spectator sport. Cockfighting is extremely widespread in Island Southeast Asia, and often had ritual significance in addition to being a gambling sport. Ducks are medium-sized aquatic birds with broad bills, eyes on the side of the head, fairly long necks, short legs set far back on the body, and webbed feet. Clay models of ducks found in China dating back to 4000 BC may indicate the domestication of ducks took place there during the Yangshao culture.

Even if this is not the case, domestication of the duck took place in the Far East at least 1500 years earlier than in the West. Domestic geese are much larger than their wild counterparts and tend to have thick necks, an upright posture, and large bodies with broad rear ends. The greylag-derived birds are large and fleshy and used for meat, while the Chinese geese have smaller frames and are mainly used for egg production. The fine down of both is valued for use in pillows and padded garments.

In some countries, geese and ducks are force-fed to produce livers with an exceptionally high fat content for the production of foie gras. France, with lesser industries in Hungary and Bulgaria and a growing production in China. Turkeys are large birds, their nearest relatives being the pheasant and the guineafowl. Males are larger than females and have spreading, fan-shaped tails and distinctive, fleshy wattles, called a snood, that hang from the top of the beak and are used in courtship display. Mexican states of Jalisco, Guerrero and Veracruz. Commercial turkeys are usually reared indoors under controlled conditions. Females achieve slaughter weight at about 15 weeks of age and males at about 19.

A squab is the name given to the young of domestic pigeons that are destined for the table. Special utility breeds with desirable characteristics are used. Two eggs are laid and incubated for about 17 days. Hens in battery cages can not move freely, with several birds living in a single cage. Worldwide, more chickens are kept than any other type of poultry, with over 50 billion birds being raised each year as a source of meat and eggs. Traditionally, such birds would have been kept extensively in small flocks, foraging during the day and housed at night.

In free-range husbandry, the birds can roam freely outdoors for at least part of the day. Often, this is in large enclosures, but the birds have access to natural conditions and can exhibit their normal behaviours. Chickens raised intensively for their meat are known as “broilers”. Broilers grow so fast, their legs cannot always support their weight and their hearts and respiratory systems may not be able to supply enough oxygen to their developing muscles. Both intensive and free-range farming have animal welfare concerns.

In intensive systems, cannibalism, feather pecking and vent pecking can be common, with some farmers using beak trimming as a preventative measure. In many countries, national and regional poultry shows are held where enthusiasts exhibit their birds which are judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standards. Sixteen billion birds are raised annually for consumption, more than half of these in industrialised, factory-like production units. Global broiler meat production rose to 84. World production of duck meat was about 4. 2 million tonnes in 2011 with China producing two thirds of the total, some 1.