Unlike animals such as monkeys, which are known to have migrated from the Old to the New Worlds, chickens are not naturally migratory. They have a small home range and can’t fly or swim well. Their distribution throughout the world, then, is directly related to humans’ interest in the creatures.
Where do chickens come from?
A familiar sight to many of us around the world . Photograph: Anthony Lee/Getty Images/OJO Images RF Chickens are native to the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia, but over the last approximately 8,000 years, chickens have been domesticated and spread around the globe to become one of the most valued domesticated animals.
You may be wondering “How did the chickens spread around the world?”
One thought is that as such, their spread around the world is not just a tale of domestication, but one that is intimately linked to the movements of people around the world. Darwin was the first to suggest that all domestic chickens descended from the red junglefowl Gallus gallus.
Do chickens moult?
Chickens will go through several molts during their lives. The earliest, juvenile molt occurs when a chick is only six to eight days old. The chick loses its downy covering for actual feathers in this first juvenile molt.
Usually, a chicken’s first molt will occur at about 18 months old, but then they’ll likely molt annually after that. They will continue losing their feathers for about eight weeks, and then it might take them up to 16 weeks to grow all their feathers back.
You could be asking “How to tell if my chickens are molting?”
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Why are there so many chickens?
Their distribution throughout the world, then, is directly related to humans’ interest in the creatures. Chickens were likely first domesticated about 5,400 years ago in Southeast Asia, although archaeological evidence of wild chickens goes back even further, to a 12,000-year-old site in northern China.
Second, chickens are difficult to find archaeologically. Zooarchaeologist Tanya Peres of Florida State University explains that “chicken bones are thin, prone to breakage, and don’t survive as whole elements. ” This means that many archaeological specimens that might be chicken are currently categorized as generic birds.
Why do molting chickens need mealworms?
Sometimes you’ll want to boost your chicken’s protein intake, this is when something like mealworms really comes in good. Younger chickens and pullets will benefit for some extra protein as they are in their growth phase. As will chickens that are in molting season and during the winter when they need to fill out their coats.