Roosters and Hens – All About Domestic Chickens

Origin, Natural History, and Hierarchy of a Familiar Barnyard Bird

© Rosemary Drisdelle

Oct 10, 2008

The global population of chickens is about twenty-four billion. We raise them for meat, for eggs, for show, and as pets, and we’ve been doing it for at least five thousand years. Strangely, however, many people take eggs and drumsticks for granted and know very little about the bird they come from.

Origins of Domestic Chickens

The scientific name for the domestic chicken is Gallus domesticus, descended from the Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus, from Southeast Asia. Now raised in captivity all over the world, the bird has been selectively bred for various characteristics and there are about 150 different varieties.

Gallus domesticus belongs to the taxonomic family Phasianidae, the pheasants and quails, and is therefore related to familiar birds such as the Ring-necked Pheasant, partridges, turkeys, and peafowl.

Life Cycle of Chickens

In the wild, the hen lays eggs in the spring and raises her brood during the summer, but hens in captivity lay eggs at any time and continue laying if the eggs are taken away:

• Fertilized eggs that remain in the nest hatch in about three weeks.
• Mating and egg laying begins at about six months.
• Chickens live about seven years—some breeds live longer.

The Pecking Order – Chicken Flocks Have a Hierarchy

We sometimes refer to the pecking order in human cultures, but the expression actually comes from the order of superiority that chicken flocks establish:

• If there is one rooster in the flock, he becomes the dominant chicken, or alpha-rooster, highest in the pecking order, and he mates with most of the hens. One of the females wins the position of dominant hen. These two peck everyone else and no one pecks them.
• If there are two roosters, the one who fails to win dominance becomes the second in line, the beta-rooster, with a corresponding beta-hen.
• The rest of the flock establishes a pecking order descending to the lowest chicken who gets pecked by everybody and doesn’t peck anyone back. Laying and broody hens tend to be dominant over immature hens.
• The beta-rooster can win the dominant position if he challenges the dominant rooster and wins, or if the alpha-rooster becomes ill or dies.
• If there is no rooster, one of the hens may assume the role—crowing, mating with other hens, and sometimes even growing small spurs.

Interesting Facts About Chickens

Here are some things you may not know about chickens:

• Flock mates, such as the dominant rooster and dominant hen, tend to feed, rest, roost, and take dust baths together.
• A chicken uses its sensitive beak to explore the world.
• The more hours of daylight, the more eggs a hen will lay.
• Chickens have a repertoire of alarm calls to warn of danger.
• Chickens mourn lost flock members, including human keepers who leave for extended periods. If their human keeper returns after an absence, the flock may sulk for a time.
• Well adjusted chickens like attention and enjoy being petted. They make good pets but don’t do well alone.
• Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.

The domestic chicken is an intelligent, charming, and tame bird, not just an egg or meat machine. Nonetheless, the lot of the factory chicken today is not a happy one: billions of birds are kept in overcrowded filthy cages for their entire lives, and then slaughtered in an inhumane fashion.

Sources:

Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Perrins, Christopher ed. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2003

Humane Society of the United States

“Chicken-cyclopedia.” Swiss Garantie (gallosuisse.ch)

Velvet Sparrow’s Chicken Information Page

Hen with Chicks

Rooster with Hen and Chicks

Roaming Chickens in Cambodia Resemble Junglefowl

Hundreds of Chickens Roost in this Tree (Thailand)

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