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At full speed, a chicken can
run at 9 mph! |
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In Gainesville, Georgia, USA,
eating chicken with a fork is illegal! |
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An average chicken lays more
than 300 eggs a year! |
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A chicken once lived for 18
months..........Without its head! |
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A brooding hen turns her eggs
about once every half hour or about 50 times a day! |
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There are more chickens living
on Earth than there are humans! |
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While most chickens lay about
one egg per day, the most eggs ever known to be laid in a single day is seven! |
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In ancient Rome, to be told
'you were raised by a hen' was a compliment! |
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Chickens have a vocabulary of
up to 200 distinct sounds for communication! |
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Some people have a fear of
chickens, a phobia known as Alektrorophobia! |
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Chickens undergo a phase of
sleep called REM sleep, just as we humans do when we dream! |
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A young female chicken of
less than a year old is known as a pullet. The older ones are simply known as hens! |
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A mature male chicken is called
a cock in the UK and other parts of Europe and a Rooster in The USA. A young male is
called a cockerel! |
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Chickens are very social
animals and enjoy the company of other chickens! |
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There are about 150 different varieties of chicken!
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In 2003 there were estimated to
be 23 billion chickens in existence. That's about three chickens per head of human population! |
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Chickens are omnivorous and
will eat anything from insects and slugs to small mice, lizards and frogs! |
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The common farmyard chicken is
scientifically known as 'Gallus Gallus Domesticus'. |
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According to the Guinness Book
of Records, the oldest chicken in the world died at the age of 16 from heart failure! |
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Chickens farmed for meat are
called 'Broilers' and those farmed for eggs are known as 'Layers'. |
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The term 'pecking order' came
about through chickens natural inclination to establish a hierarchy amongst the members
of the chicken coop. Privileges such as access to food and nesting areas are afforded to
those highest in the pecking order first! |
