People have been raising chickens for more than 7,000 years. Chickens were first domesticated in India and China. You might think of chickens as farm animals, but even people in cities can raise a few chickens in the backyard. Chicken coops don’t take up much room.
Chickens are raised mostly for their eggs and meat, but chickens also make good pets. Some chickens are very tame and will allow you to hold or pet them. Chickens eat almost anything – grass, bugs, fruit, vegetables and table scraps. If you don’t clean your plate, your chickens will!
Fun Facts about Chickens for Kids
- In Japan, people eat fried chicken and strawberry shortcake on Christmas Eve.
- A healthy chicken lays about 265 eggs each year. That’s a lot of omelets!
- Chickens are related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur.
- Chickens will be less nervous if you walk backwards when entering the coop.
- Most chickens swallow gravel to help mash food.
- Chickens cluck after they lay an egg.
- As a chicken gets older the eggs they lay become bigger but fewer eggs are laid.
- There are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird.
- Chickens have excellent hearing and memory.
- There are well over 300 breeds of chickens.
Chicken Vocabulary
- Domesticate: tame, train as a pet
- Coop: chicken house
- Tame: unafraid of humans
- Omelet: an egg dish, usually containing cheese, bacon or vegetables
- Gravel: tiny rocks or pebbles
Learn More all About Chickens
Watch a video about chickens:
A video about the private lives of chickens.
Chicken Q&A
Question: Do all chickens lay white eggs?
Answer: Some chickens lay brown, blue or green eggs.
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Question: How long do chickens live?
Answer: Most chickens live 5 to 8 years.
Question: Can chickens Fly?
Answer: Yes chickens can fly but only for very short distances, generally a max distance of fifty feet.
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