In the Deep South of the United States chickens are also referred to by the slang term yardbird. General biology and habitat. In some breeds the adult rooster can be distinguished from the hen by his larger comb. Chickens are omnivores. In the wild, they often scratch at the soil to search for seeds, insects and even animals as large as lizards, small snakes or young mice. Chickens may live for five to ten years, depending on the breed. The worlds oldest chicken was a hen which died of heart failure at the age of 1. Guinness World Records. Roosters can usually be differentiated from hens by their striking plumage of long flowing tails and shiny, pointed feathers on their necks hackles and backs saddle, which are typically of brighter, bolder colours than those of females of the same breed. However, in some breeds, such as the Sebright chicken, the rooster has only slightly pointed neck feathers, the same colour as the hens. The identification can be made by looking at the comb, or eventually from the development of spurs on the males legs in a few breeds and in certain hybrids, the male and female chicks may be differentiated by colour. Adult chickens have a fleshy crest on their heads called a comb, or cockscomb, and hanging flaps of skin either side under their beaks called wattles. Collectively, these and other fleshy protuberances on the head and throat are called caruncles. Both the adult male and female have wattles and combs, but in most breeds these are more prominent in males. A muff or beard is a mutation found in several chicken breeds which causes extra feathering under the chickens face, giving the appearance of a beard. Domestic chickens are not capable of long distance flight, although lighter birds are generally capable of flying for short distances, such as over fences or into trees where they would naturally roost. Chickens may occasionally fly briefly to explore their surroundings, but generally do so only to flee perceived danger. Behavior. Social behaviour. Chickens are gregarious birds and live together in flocks. They have a communal approach to the incubation of eggs and raising of young. Individual chickens in a flock will dominate others, establishing a pecking order, with dominant individuals having priority for food access and nesting locations. Removing hens or roosters from a flock causes a temporary disruption to this social order until a new pecking order is established. Adding hens, especially younger birds, to an existing flock can lead to fighting and injury. When a rooster finds food, he may call other chickens to eat first. He does this by clucking in a high pitch as well as picking up and dropping the food. This behaviour may also be observed in mother hens to call their chicks and encourage them to eat. A roosters crowing is a loud and sometimes shrill call and sends a territorial signal to other roosters. However, roosters may also crow in response to sudden disturbances within their surroundings. Recipe for Cauliflower Gratin from Thomas Kellers Bouchon cookbook and a review of making it. Are you looking for a good picnic dessert How about little chocolate cakes just right for packing and eating al fresco These are from Thomas Keller, who seems to. Recipe review of Blowtorch Prime Rib Roast from Ad Hoc at Home cookbook by Thomas Keller. The chicken Gallus gallus domesticus is a type of domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the red junglefowl. It is one of the most common and widespread domestic. These crispyontheoutside, tenderontheinside chicken thighs are tastier and healthier than any other fried chicken youve ever stuck in your faceholeThomas Keller Chicken Pot Pie92606 Added 43 PA Luper. Updated Ray Cato Page and PA Lupper Page. Added Ray Cato and updated Ellis Palasini pages in theDrivers and Owners section. Thomas Kellers recipes include lemonbrined fried chicken and elegant smoked salmon crisps. Plus more Thomas Keller recipes. Hens cluck loudly after laying an egg, and also to call their chicks. Chickens also give a low warning call when they think they see a predator approaching. Courtship. To initiate courting, some roosters may dance in a circle around or near a hen a circle dance, often lowering his wing which is closest to the hen. The dance triggers a response in the hen1. Nesting and laying behaviour. Chicken eggs vary in colour depending on the hen, typically ranging from bright white to shades of brown and even blue, green, and recently reported purple found in South Asia Araucana varieties. Chicks before their first outing. Hens will often try to lay in nests that already contain eggs and have been known to move eggs from neighbouring nests into their own. The result of this behaviour is that a flock will use only a few preferred locations, rather than having a different nest for every bird. Hens will often express a preference to lay in the same location. Healthy Tortillas there. It is not unknown for two or more hens to try to share the same nest at the same time. If the nest is small, or one of the hens is particularly determined, this may result in chickens trying to lay on top of each other. There is evidence that individual hens prefer to be either solitary or gregarious nesters. Some farmers use fake eggs made from plastic or stone or golf balls to encourage hens to lay in a particular location. Broodiness. Under natural conditions, most birds lay only until a clutch is complete, and they will then incubate all the eggs. Many domestic hens will also do thisand are then said to go broody. The broody hen will stop laying and instead will focus on the incubation of the eggs a full clutch is usually about 1. She will sit or set on the nest, protesting or pecking in defense if disturbed or removed, and she will rarely leave the nest to eat, drink, or dust bathe. While brooding, the hen maintains the nest at a constant temperature and humidity, as well as turning the eggs regularly during the first part of the incubation. To stimulate broodiness, an owner may place many artificial eggs in the nest, or to stop it they may place the hen in an elevated cage with an open wire floor. Skull of a three week old chicken. Here the opisthotic bone appears in the occipital region, as in the adult Chelonian. Basi occipital, bt Basi temporal, eo Opisthotic, f Frontal, fm Foramen magnum, fo Fontanella, oc Occipital condyle, op Opisthotic, p Parietal, pf Post frontal, sc Sinus canal in supra occipital, so Supra occpital, sq Squamosal, 8 Exit of vagus nerve. Modern egg laying breeds rarely go broody, and those that do often stop part way through the incubation.