Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus
A rooster or cock (left) and 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)

Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a term 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).

A male chicken is called a rooster or a cock(erel). Roosters do not have penises. A female chicken is called a hen; a young chicken is called a chick. Like other female birds, hens lay eggs. The eggs hatch into chicks.

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. Fences are often used for this. ^[2]

Chickens can also be farmed intensively. This lets farms make a lot of chicken meat and eggs.

1. ↑ "chicken (bird) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". britannica.com. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
2. ↑ How to Raise Chickens Archived 2015-03-02 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 15 March 2011.