The History of Chickens; From the Jungle to Your Backyard

Have you ever wondered where your chickens came from? This video covers the story of chickens; looking at their history and origins. I cover where and why people first started domesticating chickens, what role chickens played in human cultures all over the world, how people cared for their chickens, and the crazy story of how chickens went from a 'bonus' farmyard animals giving us eggs and a few roast meals, to providing the cheapest and most available source of protein for the world.

You can use your understanding of the origin and history of chickens to help make good choices about how to care for your own flock. Understanding the species needs of an animal allows us to make an environment for them that keeps them happier and healthier.

The ancestor of our modern-day chickens can still be found today. This ancestor is the Red Jungle Fowl found in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Thousands of years ago our ancestors discovered this chicken ancestor and together humans and chickens have spread across the globe.

Did you know that most of the breeds you might have in your backyard flock didn't exist until the mid-1800s? Learn about the 'Chicken of Tomorrow' competition run in the USA. This competition set the stage for our modern industrial chicken farming of meat chickens and laying hens. While I only talk about the first competition in this video, the competition was so successful that it continued on until the early 1950s. It's a super interesting story! I encourage you to learn more about it.

Corrections:
* - The Chicken of Tomorrow competition wanted birds ready for butchering at 12 weeks old NOT 16 weeks old.
* - The Romans went to Britain a few times, starting from 55BC NOT specifically 1AD.


00:00 - Introduction
00:57 - The Chicken Origins
02:13 - Domesticating Chickens
04:51 - People and Chickens
08:00 - The 1800's Chicken Boom
10:13 - The Rise of a New Chicken
17:09 - The New Chicken Craze
20:06 - Using Chicken Origins for Animal Enrichment