​A Brief History Of Chickens

Galliformes, the order of bird that chickens belong to, is directly linked to the survival of birds when all other dinosaurs went extinct. Water or ground-dwelling fowl, similar to modern partridges, survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that killed all tree-dwelling birds and dinosaurs. Some of these evolved into the modern galliformes, of which domesticated chickens are a main model. 

​Most scientists agree that the Southeast Asian Red Junglefowl (gallus gallus) is the primary wild ancestor of chickens.  In a study published in 2020, it was found that chickens shared between 71% - 79% of their genome with red junglefowl, with the period of domestication dated to 8,000 years ago. However, because DNA studies show that the Red Junglefowl lacks the gene for yellow skin (and shanks) it is believed that some point, hybridization with the Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonnaratii) of India has occurred. The body structure of the Indian Gamebird (Cornish) and the Brahmas of China gives physical evidence of Grey Jungle- fowl influence. The tail carriage of the breed Sumatra indicates genetic contributions of the SriLanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetti). No doubt the Green Junglefowl (Gallus varius) has also contributed to modern chickens.

The classification of today’s chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) recognizes its primary origin, the Red Junglefowl.  The Auracana, originally found in Auracania region of Chile continues to provide confusion. Some scientists believe that it was Pre-Columbian and originally from Polynesia. But DNA evidence disputes this theory.

​Red Jungle Fowl

Araucana

​Exactly when and where the chicken was domesticated remains a controversial issue. Domestication probably occurred 7,000-10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and Oceana. Genomic studies estimate that the chicken was domesticated 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and spread to China and India 2,000 to 3,000 years later. Archaeological evidence supports domestic chickens in Southeast Asia well before 6000 BC, China by 6000 BC and India by 2000 BC.

Distribution of Chickens occurred rapidly and was widespread because of their ability to provide meat and eggs without being competitive for human food sources. However, it is believed that the sport of Cockfighting was the principle reason for dispersion of chickens.

 A landmark 2020 Nature study that fully sequenced 863 chickens across the world suggests that all domestic chickens originate from a single domestication event of red junglefowl whose present-day distribution is predominantly in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Myanmar. These domesticated chickens spread across Southeast and South Asia where they interbred with local wild species of junglefowl, forming genetically and geographically distinct groups. Analysis of the most popular commercial breed shows that the White Leghorn breed possesses a mosaic of divergent ancestries inherited from subspecies of red junglefowl.

Middle Eastern chicken remains go back to a little earlier than 2000 BC in Syria. They reached Egypt for purposes of cockfighting about 1400 BC and became widely bred in Egypt around 300 BC. Phoenicians spread chickens along the Mediterranean coasts as far as Iberia. During the Hellenistic period (4th–2nd centuries BC), in the southern Levant, chickens began to be widely domesticated for food. This change occurred at least 100 years before domestication of chickens spread to Europe.

Chickens reached Europe circa 100 BC. Breeding increased under the Roman Empire and reduced by the Middle Ages. Genetic sequencing of chicken bones from archaeological sites in Europe revealed that in the High Middle Ages chickens became less aggressive and began to lay eggs earlier in the breeding season.

​An unusual variety of chicken that has its origins in South America is the Araucana, bred in southern Chile by the Mapuche people. Araucanas lay blue-green eggs. Additionally, some Araucanas are tailless, and some have tufts of feathers around their ears. It has long been suggested that they pre-date the arrival of European chickens brought by the Spanish and are evidence of pre-Columbian trans-Pacific contacts between Asian or Pacific Oceanic peoples, particularly the Polynesians, and South America. In 2007, an international team of researchers reported the results of their analysis of chicken bones found on the Arauco Peninsula in south-central Chile.

​Radiocarbon dating suggested that the chickens were pre-Columbian, and DNA analysis showed that they were related to prehistoric populations of chickens in Polynesia. These results appeared to confirm that the chickens came from Polynesia and that there were transpacific contacts between Polynesia and South America before Columbus' arrival in the Americas

Truth about 'free range eggs'

The reality for free-range hens is very different to what the adverts tell us. Almost all are still kept in huge flocks in large crowded barns, being let outside for parts of the day, weather permitting.

Free range sheds can contain up to nine birds per square metre – that’s like 14 adults living in a one-room flat. Some multi-tier sheds (still “free range”) contain 16,000 hens. So while these poor birds can theoretically go outdoors, they can also be too crammed in and too traumatised to find the few exit holes.

When you consider that a caged hen has the equivalent of one standard iPad’s worth of space, the extra pennies you spend on buying free-range eggs could only mean a few, extra square centimetres for the chicken who made them.

Pop-holes are the exits provided in barns to allow free-range hens to get outside. Many barns don’t have enough, and the exits are often blocked by dominant hens asserting the pecking order.
On average, less than 10 per cent of free-range chickens will be outside at any given time. What’s more, some never go outside at all.

Overcrowding in the free-range system leads to the same problems of aggression and feather-pecking that we see in cage and barn systems of egg production. This is caused by frustration and stress as the chickens compete for space. As a result, free-range birds still have the end of their beak cut off when they are one day old, just like caged birds. Beak trimming is commonplace across Europe. Almost all young hens have part of their beaks burned off without anaesthetic to stop them pecking at the other hens in their cramped, traumatised flocks. 

Whether a ‘free-range’ hen or a caged bird, the slaughter process is the same for all animals. In Europe, chickens are either gassed to death or hung upside down by their legs while conscious, dragged through a water bath that is intended to stun them, and their throats are cut. The production of all eggs, free-range or not, begins and ends with violence. Investigations into even the most ‘reputable’ egg producers have uncovered horrific conditions.

Hens in the wild lay just 20 eggs per year but modern farms with high protein feed and near-constant lighting push them to lay closer to 500 eggs annually. Their exhausted bodies are then discarded within months – routinely sent to slaughter having lived less than one-tenth of their natural lifespan. True for all type of eggs whether labelled Barn reared, Free Range or Organic 

And that’s a long life compared to the male chicks. They are financially worthless to egg farmers and therefore killed within hours of their birth. Every year, almost 330 million day-old male chicks are killed in hatcheries in the EU. They are tossed into a machine and ground up alive, or gassed by carbon dioxide, or simply dumped in a bin bag and left to suffocate, but their sisters go on to lay what you buy as 'organic' 'free range' eggs!

Our egg production

Our chickens are kept in fenced areas with coops they can sleep in (although many prefer to roost in the trees at night). We focus on breeds that produce naturally coloured eggs. There are a large variety of egg colours, not just brown and white. 

Currently we have hens that lay dark brown, olive green, mint, blue , cream and white coloured eggs.

Chicken Facts

1. Chickens are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs! Scientific evidence has proven the shared common ancestry between chickens and the Tyrannosaurus rex.
2. Chickens can dream. Research has shown that chickens experience REM (rapid eye movement) while sleeping, meaning they can dream just like us! They also have a sleep phase that humans don’t experience called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, where one half of the brain is asleep and the other is awake. This means that chickens can sleep with one eye open, which is especially useful for looking out for predators.
3. Chickens have better colour vision than humans. Chickens have colour vision, and are able to see red, green and blue light. However, what makes chicken vision unique from ours is that they are also able to see ultraviolet light, which are the colours you see when using a black light!
4. Chickens have over 30 unique vocalisations that they use to communicate a wide variety of messages to other chickens, including mating calls, stress signals, warnings of danger, how they are feeling and food discovery.
5. Chickens are able to recognize over 100 different faces, even after being separated for extended periods of time, highlighting their long-term memory capabilities. These faces don’t just include chickens, they can recognize the faces of humans too!
6. Chickens bathe by covering themselves in dirt. While this may seem contradictory, the dirt is essential to helping chickens stay clean! Chickens have an oil gland on their back that is used to spread oil over their feathers to make them waterproof. Over time, the oil goes stale, and chickens need to wash the old oil off through dust bathing. Dust bathing is when chickens crouch on the ground and spread dirt or another dusty material over their body. The stale oil sticks onto the particles of dirt, and gets shaken off. Chickens can then spread fresh oil onto their feathers.
7. Chickens live in groups called flocks. The social structure of these flocks depends on a hierarchy called a pecking order, which is an order of dominance. All chickens know their place in this order, and it helps to maintain a stable, cohesive group.
8. Egg shell colour can be determined by the hen’s earlobe. Ever wondered what causes the difference between brown and white eggs? It depends on the breed of the hen, but it’s not feather colour that tells you what colour the egg shell will be. It’s the colour of the hen’s earlobes! Generally, hens with red earlobes will lay brown eggs, and hens with white earlobes lay white eggs (with a few exceptions of course). Although the colour of the eggs may differ, the nutritional content or flavour does not.
9. Studies have shown that chickens are self-aware and can distinguish themselves from others. They learn from one another, such as a chick learning from her mother which foods are good to eat. Chickens can also demonstrate complex problem-solving skills.