It is thought that the nearest relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex is a chicken.
A castrated male chicken is called a capon.
Chickens will be less 'flighty' if while tending a pen or chicken house the caretaker walks backwards.
You can literally hypnotize a chicken by holding it and drawing a line in the dirt over and over. The chicken will stay still right there as long as you do this.
Some breeds of chickens can lay colored eggs.
Christmas has different meanings in different countries. Christmas Eve in Japan is a good day to eat fried chicken and strawberry short-cake.
The average hen lays 265 table eggs each year.
Arkansas produced over 1.1 billion broilers in 2006 which averages about 422 broilers for each Arkansan.
A chicken's gizzard will likely have gravel to help "chew" the food for digestion.
A rooster will usually perform a special waltz or dance in an attempt to attract a mate.
A chickens' body temperature normally runs at 102-103 degrees
A chickens' heart beats 280-315 times a minute.
Chickens are not capable of sustained flight.
It takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg.
Grocery store chickens are 5-8 weeks old.
Americans consume 8 billion chickens a year.
The latin name for chicken is Gallus Domesticus.
There are over 150 varieties of domestic chickens.
Chickens were domesticated about 8000 years ago
A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute, a hen 30-35.
The chicken was once considered a sacred animal symbolizing the sun.
Breeds were developed to provide plumage for ceremonial costumes.
The first Poultry Exhibition was held in the United States on November 14, 1849. There were 219 exhibitors, 1023 birds, and over 10,000 visitors.
All domestic chickens can be genetically traced to Gallus Gallus, The Red Jungle Fowl.
In 1925, hens laid an average of 100 eggs a year. In 1979, the World Record was set by a White Leghorn who laid 371 eggs in 364 days!!!
A hen lives an average of 5-7 years, but can live up to 20 years. She'll lay eggs her entire life, with production decreasing every year from year one.
An egg starts growing into a chick when it reaches a temperature of 86 degrees F.
Alektorophobia is the name given to "The Fear of Chickens".
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Chickens are very social animals. They will fight to protect their family and will mourn when a loved one is lost.
Chickens have more bones in their necks than giraffes. They have no teeth and swallow their food whole. Part of their stomach is used to grind their food up.
If a rooster is not present in a flock of hens, a hen will often take the role, stop laying, and begin to crow.
