Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world. Owing to the relative ease and low cost of raising chickens—in comparison to mammals such as cattle or hogs—chicken meat and chicken eggs have become prevalent in numerous cuisines.
Whole chickens for sale in a public market
Chicken wings being barbecued
Fried chicken
Oven-roasted chicken with lemon and rosemary
The chicken is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs; others are kept as pets or for cockfighting.
Image: Male and female chicken sitting together
Image: GLW 2 global distributions of c) chickens
Comb of male
Comb of female, generally smaller