Chickens

Chickens are one of the most widespread and common domestic animals. It is believed that they were domesticated over 8000 years ago. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird, in 2003 the world population was estimated to exceed 24 billion. Most chickens are kept to produce meat and eggs. They are omnivores and will scratch at the soil for seeds and insects. Chickens can live for five to eleven years depending on the breed, however a commercially raised meat chicken will only live to about six weeks and a free range or organic meat chicken will live about fourteen weeks. After about a year a hen’s egg laying ability starts to decline. Generally if a chicken has red earlobes they will lay brown eggs, and if they have white ear lobes they will lay white eggs. Chickens are social animals and like to be in flocks. They will have an established pecking order with the dominant birds having first access to food and nesting areas. Hens prefer laying in nesting areas that already have eggs present. They will occasionally move eggs from another area to their own. A setting hen will turn her eggs over 50 times per day. A mother hen will start talking to her chicks while they are still in the egg. Chickens are able to recognize over 100 individual faces, including humans. As well, chickens having complex communication with over 30 different calls (that are known) for everything from calling their chicks, signalling the rest of the flock to the location of food, as well as alerting to predators and the type of predator. Chickens have full colour vision and also experience REM sleep which is associated with dreaming. A roosters wattle is used to bring attention to him when he is showing off for his hens.

Duckopolis has the following breeds of chickens for sale:

Easter Eggers, Marans, Orpington, Polish, and Silkie