Poultry

Poultry are domesticated birds raised by humans for meat, eggs, or feathers. This practice is called poultry farming. These birds typically belong to the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), particularly the order Galliformes (which includes chickens and turkeys) and the waterfowl family Anatidae (ducks and geese). Wild birds hunted for food are not considered poultry; they are known as game or quarry.

Recent genomic studies of the four living junglefowl species show that chickens—the most common poultry bird—were domesticated around 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. Earlier estimates had placed this event at about 5,400 years ago, also in Southeast Asia. Domestication may have begun when people hatched and raised young birds from eggs collected in the wild, later keeping them permanently in captivity. Initially, domesticated chickens might have been used for cockfighting, and quail were kept for their songs, but people soon recognized the benefits of a captive food source. Over centuries, selective breeding for fast growth, egg production, body shape, feathering, and calm temperament produced modern breeds that often differ greatly from their wild ancestors. While some birds are still kept in small flocks on extensive systems, most poultry sold today come from intensive commercial operations.

Poultry, along with pork, is one of the two most widely eaten types of meat worldwide; together they made up over 70% of the global meat supply in 2012. Poultry meat is nutritionally beneficial, providing high-quality protein with a low fat content. All poultry meat must be handled properly and cooked thoroughly to reduce the risk of food poisoning. Semi-vegetarians who eat poultry as their only meat are described as pollotarians.

**Etymology** The word "poultry" comes from Middle English *pultry* or *pultrie*, derived from the Old French/Norman word *pouletrie*. The term for a young poultry bird, "pullet" (like its doublet "poult"), comes from Middle English *pulet* and Old French *polet*, both from the Latin *pullus*, meaning a young fowl or young animal. The word "fowl" is of Germanic origin (compare Old English *Fugol*, German *Vogel*, Danish *Fugl*).

**Definition** "Poultry" refers to any domesticated bird raised in captivity for its usefulness. Traditionally, the term has applied to wildfowl (Galliformes) and waterfowl (Anseriformes), but not to cage birds like songbirds or parrots. It can be defined as domestic fowl—including chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks—raised for meat or eggs, and the word also describes the flesh of these birds used as food. The Encyclopædia Britannica lists the same bird groups but also includes guinea fowl and squabs (young pigeons). In R. D. Crawford's *Poultry breeding and genetics*, squabs are omitted, while Japanese quail and common pheasant are added—the latter often bred in captivity and released into the wild. In his 1848 classic *Ornamental and Domestic Poultry: Their History, and Management*, Edmund Dixon included chapters on peafowl, guinea fowl, mute swan, turkey, various types of geese, the muscovy duck, other ducks, and all types of chickens, including bantams. In everyday speech, "fowl" is often used almost interchangeably with "domesticated chicken" (*Gallus gallus*), or with "poultry," or even just "bird"; many languages do not distinguish between "poultry" and "fowl." Both words are also used for the meat of these birds. Poultry can be distinguished from "game," which refers to wild birds or mammals hunted for food or sport, a term also used for their meat.

**Examples**

**Chickens** Chickens are medium-sized, sturdy birds with an upright posture, characterized by fleshy red combs and wattles on their heads. Males, called cocks, are generally larger, more brightly colored, and have more elaborate plumage than females (hens). Chickens are social, omnivorous, ground-dwelling birds that naturally search leaf litter for seeds, insects, and other small animals. They rarely fly except when threatened, preferring to run into cover. The modern domestic chicken (*Gallus gallus domesticus*) is mainly descended from the wild red junglefowl of Asia, with some genetic input from the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl, and green junglefowl.

Genomic studies estimate that chickens were domesticated 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and spread to China and India 2,000–3,000 years later. Archaeological evidence supports domestic chickens in Southeast Asia well before 6000 BC, in China by 6000 BC, and in India by 2000 BC. A landmark 2020 *Nature* study that fully sequenced 863 chickens worldwide suggests that all domestic chickens originate from a single domestication event of the red junglefowl, whose present-day range is mainly in southwestern China, northern Thailand, and Myanmar. These domesticated chickens spread across Southeast and South Asia, where they interbred with local wild junglefowl species, forming genetically and geographically distinct groups. Analysis of the most popular commercial breed, the White Leghorn, shows it has a mosaic of divergent ancestries inherited from subspecies of red junglefowl.

Chickens were among the domesticated animals carried by seafaring Austronesian migrations into Taiwan, Island Southeast Asia, Island Melanesia, Madagascar, and the Pacific Islands, beginning around 3500 to 2500 BC. By 2000 BC, chickens had reached the Indus Valley, and about 250 years later, they arrived in Egypt. They were still used for fighting and were regarded as symbols of fertility. The Romans used them in divination.