Domestic Chickens

Gallus gallus domesticus

Appearance: Chickens come in a wide variety of colors from black to white, red to green, and everything in between. Males tend to have bigger combs (fleshy growth found on the forehead) and longer tail feathers although with cross-breeding, sometimes females will have those features as well.

History: The earliest evidence of domesticated chickens comes from the Indus River civilization from around 3300 BCE. Chickens, depending on the breed, are used mainly for their meat and eggs. They were originally domesticated from the red jungle- fowl originally found in Southeast Asia.

Range: Domestic chickens are found throughout the world.

Diet: In the wild, chickens eat seeds, insects, small reptiles, and sometimes small mice. Here at the Nature Center, we give them seeds, fruits, and vegetables.

Our Flock

Date of Birth: Hatched Spring 2024

What Makes Them Unique? We have 5 breeds of chicken here at the WNC Nature Center – Brown Leghorn, Sicilian Buttercup, Egyptian Fayoumis, Blue Andalusian, and Silver Spangled Hamburg.