Chickens, turkeys, pheasant, and quail

Chicken, Turkey, Pheasant, and Quail Facts

Classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Class: Aves
• Subclass: Neornithes
• Order: Galliformes
• Families: Megapodiidae (mound birds); Cracidae (curassows); Phasianidae, with subfamilies Perdicinae (partridges, francolins), Meleagridinae (turkeys), Phasianinae (pheasants), Tetraoninae (grouse); Numididae (guineafowl); Odontophoridae (New World quails)
• Geographical location: Chickens and pheasant originated in Southeast Asia from the wild jungle fowl; turkeys are strictly a North American bird that is now well received as a domestic fowl; quail are located on all continents except Antarctica
• Habitat: The original habitat of chickens and pheasant was the warm region of Southeast Asia and now has spread worldwide; turkeys are an American ground bird; quail are found in forests, dryland areas, and plains
• Gestational period: Eighteen to thirty-two days, depending on the species
• Life span: Chickens will live about four years; pheasant live about the same length of time, but less in the wild; turkeys and quail live between three and six years
• Special anatomy: Males are colorful; females tend to be dull and drab-colored

The chicken is the most widely raised of agricultural animals. It is estimated that over nine billion chickens are produced annually in the world for both meat and egg production. The chicken was domesticated over four thousand years ago in southeast Asia. The general history of domesticated fowl is not clear. It appears that the world’s chicken population was developed from at least four different wild jungle fowl. Crossbreeding allowed for the introduction of new breeds that continued to develop and change. Today’s domesticated birds all come from the Asiatic birds. The wild red jungle fowl is considered to have had the most influence in chicken development. It was the most widespread of the chicken’s probable ancestors, was the most calm and compact, and could be the foundation bird of the domesticated chicken.

Chickens

There are three distinct categories of domesticated chickens: meat, egg, and dual purpose. The meat-producing bird is referred to as the broiler breed, and it was developed to be a fast-growing, quickly maturing, large-bodied bird. The purebred broiler breed chicken is usually crossbred with another breed of chicken to produce an even faster-growing bird. The broiler breed does not lay well and is seldom used as a farm flock bird for egg production.

The egg production chicken is a lightweight bird, for it was genetically developed to produce eggs and stayed away from any kind of meat characteristics. Most of the egg production breeds come from the Mediterranean region of the world. In general, they are quick birds, easy to scare, and excellent converters of feed into white-shelled eggs. The Leghorn breed is probably the most well known of the Mediterranean breed of chicken. The dual purpose breed of chicken was primarily developed in the United States for the American farmer or the small flock owner. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a bird was needed that had relatively good egg production value but also was large enough so a family could use extra birds for food. Most of the American dual purpose breeds have a calm demeanor, lay a good-sized brown-shelled egg, and are easy to keep. The two most common breeds are the Plymouth Rocks and the Rhode Island Reds.

Chickens come in all different sizes and shapes. There are also enormous color and color pattern differences. Many chickens are solid colors, others are striped, splashed, dotted, tipped, or checked. In just about all cases, the rooster is more colorful than the hen. Since the hen sets on the eggs for hatching purposes, she needs to blend into the surrounding area so that a predator will have a harder time in finding her and the nest. The modern farmer, however, usually does not allow hens to set in the wild, and most chicks are now hatched in an incubator.

The chicken’s comb varies in type: It may be single, or shaped like a rose, a vee, a pea, or a strawberry. The comb structure is the same for a rooster or a hen. The weight of chickens can vary also, with the rooster weighing anywhere from six to twelve pounds and the hen weighing about two pounds less, depending on the breed and age of the chicken itself. The Asiatic chicken breeds weigh the most, and the Mediterraneans the least.

The incubation period of a chicken is twenty-one days. The baby chicks are rather well-developed when hatched and can survive a day or so with little or no feed. They have a yolk-sac attached that gives them enough food until they are able to figure out how to eat and drink. Newborn chicks need a higher protein base than do older chickens. The growing chicks need between a 20 to 24 percent growth formula in order to survive and flourish.

A chicken has much in common with other birds. The bone structure is similar to that of most birds in that it is lightweight, with hollow cavities, yet strong. The muscle structure is well defined and powerful, allowing the chicken to fly, although not far. The digestive system is typical of all birds. Chickens take in food through their beaks; then it is moved to a pouch where it is stored before being passed on through the gizzard, a hard, rough muscle whose function is to crush the food with small stones that have been picked up to assist in the breaking up of the food particles. Chickens always need a new supply of stones, or grit, to help them in their dietary function. The feathers cover the bird’s outer frame and serve as an insulator to keep body temperature even. Feathers constitute 4 to 10 percent of the bird’s total weight, depending on the breed and age of the bird. The feathers are replaced on a regular basis, called a molt. The female molt is more dramatic than the male’s.

A hen will start laying eggs when she is about six months old and will do so for about twenty weeks, when she goes through her first molt. The average laying hen will lay about 220 to 250 eggs in her first year of production. In the year following, the hen lays about half as many, and the following year, about as half as many again. Many chicken producers will get rid of the chicken after she has her first molt because egg production tends to drop off dramatically afterward.

Turkeys

The turkey is a rather large, ground-feeding bird that is native only to North America. There are two varieties. The eastern wild turkey, also called the common turkey, had a natural range that covered the southern portion of Canada to northern Mexico. The second turkey is called the ocellated turkey of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The eastern turkey had a much greater natural range, but because much of its natural cover has been destroyed over the years by human population growth, the range is now much smaller. In many cases, the eastern turkey has been wiped out of existence in numerous locales.

The domestic turkey is economically important to many regions in America. The turkey is traditionally served on Thanksgiving Day all across the United States. The wild turkey has a rather dark plumage, and eats nuts, bugs, and other things it finds on the forest floor. It roosts in trees during the night. The wild turkey is wily and is alert to all danger. The wild turkey male, or tom, is rather large for a bird that can fly with ease. He weighs about twenty pounds when full grown. The female is not as large but is just as alert. She will try to hatch out ten to fifteen eggs in her clutch every year. Turkeys tend to band together after the reproduction season is over, and they stay together until the following year.

The domestic turkey does not come from the eastern variety but from the ocellated strain. The Indians of Mexico and Central America domesticated the bird sometime before Christopher Columbus discovered the region. Currently, there are several kinds of domesticated turkey used in agriculture, with the Giant White being the one chosen for human consumption. The domestic turkey has been bred to have huge breasts and other dominant portions. It grows rapidly but cannot reproduce by itself very easily, having become too large. Most turkey insemination is now done through artificial means.

Quail

The quail is a relatively small, very fast-flying bird that is found in the Western Hemisphere as well as Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It is a ground bird that prefers to hunt for seeds, bugs, insects, and other food on the ground near cover. Quails need a high-protein source of feed because of their fast heartbeat, so they usually hunt meaty invertebrates. The quail is generally monogamous in nature. When babies arrive, both parents tend to the offspring.

There are several closely related varieties of quail in the world. All have adopted a slightly different way of living, but are recognizable by their general patterns of flight, group activity, and food-hunting tactics.

Quail belong to the Phasianidae family, which includes pheasant, turkeys, and several other fowl. The males and females are similar in color and size. Quail are nonmigratory and will establish a territory in which they want to live and stay. Quail are sportsmen’s favorite bird because they are fast flyers and elusive. They serve as a challenge.

Pheasant

The pheasant also belongs to the family Phasianidae. The history of the pheasant suggests that it originated from one of several wild jungle fowl of southeast Asia at least five thousand years ago, if not more. The greatest variety is located in Asia, but there are several native species in Europe as well as in Africa. The pheasant in North America were imported as sport gamebirds. North America has no native pheasant.

The pheasant does not roam much and prefers to keep itself in a specific territory. The bird will forage on the ground, but at night will try to sleep in trees or in some other specific cover. The pheasant male is polygamous and will mate with as many females as he can find. He does not help in the rearing of the babies and actually serves no function other than breeding and calling out when danger is near. The male has a much different color pattern than the female. He is colorful and bright-feathered; she is dull in color. The pheasant builds her nest on the ground and needs to blend in to the surrounding area in order to elude predators that might kill her or rob her nest.

The pheasant is a strong flyer, but does have to run before taking off on most occasions. It has a long neck, very strong legs and feet, and a powerful beak that is hooked at the end. There are several species of pheasant in the world.

Principal Terms

chicks: baby birds from chickens, turkeys, pheasant, or quail

clutch: a group of eggs in a nest

cock: male chicken, pheasant, or quail

cockerel: young male chicken, pheasant, or quail

covey: flock of quail

egg: a round, hard-shelled object produced by the female bird that may produce offspring, but is often used as a food product for human consumption

flock: group of birds

hen: adult female chicken, turkey, pheasant, or quail

rooster: male chicken or pheasant

tom: male turkey

wattle: a large, rather long, finger-type growth that hangs off the upper beak of a tom turkey

Bibliography

Howman, Keith. Pheasants of the World: Their Breeding and Management. Syrrey: Hancock Houses, 1993. Print.

Johnsgard, Paul A. Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. 2nd ed. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1999. Print.

Mullin, John. Game Bird Propagation: The Wildlife Harvest System. 6th ed. Goose Lake: Arrowhead Hunting and Conservation Club, 1998. Print.

Stromberg, Loyl. Poultry of the World. Ontario: Silvio Mattacchione, 1996. Print.