Chickens History

[NewGuineaChooks]

The jungle fowl in Papua New Guinea (megapode, not gallus) doesn't have a reproduction cycle limited to one time of year either. I recall egg hunting expeditions at varying times of year.

I suppose the seasons don't mean much in a place where the maximum daylight varies only 30 minutes, and the maximum temperature difference is 5F !

 

[Davaroo]

Yes I was supposing the same about the tropical/subtropical climate.

However our concerns center around domestic chickens, of course.

 

[SewingDiva]

Quote:
Chickenwoods, you perspective as a hunter is interesting, and your comment above sent me to Wikipedia.

I found a good article on the domestication of animals (and plants too) and evidently chickens are one of the older types of domesticated animals (they have been with humans for aobut 8000 years.)

The article also has a fascinating examination of animal characteristics that make domestication desirable and possible.

Wkikipedia article on domestication

I learned alot!
Phyllis

 

[Davaroo]

You might also be surprised to learn that as far as we know, chickens were not first taken from the forest to provide food. Instead, they were first brought into our circle both figurativeley and literally - for the sport of cockfighting.

It seems the Indian raja's found the cocks innate willingness to fight any of it's kind for dominance to be sport-worthy. The concept is still with us today in what are generally called "gamebirds," one example of which is the OEG, or Olde English Game breeds. Accordingly, the Asil is just one of the breeds still know today, which directly descend from the raja's first game specimens.

I imagine people would have domesticated chickens in time, anyway, regardlesss of their sporting tendencies. If I was to guess, I'd bet the two, sport and domestic usefulness, were concurrent. Chickens fit the Six Criteria for Domestication and offer a one-two punch in both eggs and meat. It couldn't have taken long to recognize that. In case you are interested, the six criteria are:

1. Flexible diet
2. Reasonably fast growth rate
3. Ability to be bred in captivity
4. Pleasant disposition
5. Temperament which makes it unlikely to panic
6. Modifiable social hierarchy

Nevertheless, while cockfighting has fallen on hard times and is generally reviled in the modern age, we have that sport to thank for the chicken coming into our culture. Who'da guessed?