Content
- Where do wild chickens live?
- Where does the chicken live?
- what does the chicken eat
- How long does a chicken live?
- How old does a rooster live?
The chicken is perhaps the most widespread bird on planet Earth. Thanks to its domestication by humans, it achieved worldwide distribution. The chickens we have in our homes today are derived from an Asian species that we can still find today in their natural habitat. In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will explain where the chickens live and how long does a chicken live, talking about their living conditions and some races, keep reading!
Where do wild chickens live?
If you've ever thought about adopting one, you're certainly worried about knowing where chickens live in the wild, to provide the best conditions for them in your home. To understand this, let's start by talking about your ancestors. Our domestic chickens are derived from the wild chickens that inhabit Central Asia. An ancestor is the bankiva rooster (gallusgallus), who lived in the Indus Valley in a semi-domesticated state for at least 5000 years. At that time, humans took it all over the planet, which made it probably the most numerous bird on Earth. It was domesticated to provide meat and eggs.
Currently, this animal lives in a natural state in India and Southeast Asia. They are birds that inhabit the forest soils, form groups in which the male protects the females until the eggs are laid, and they have diurnal habits. The flight of chickens and roosters is very short and they only use it to climb low branches, where they spend the night or take refuge when they sense danger. Their diet is omnivorous and they continually forage throughout the day. They get their food by pecking and digging.
Among his habits, there is a taste for sand baths, with which they seek to eliminate parasites and clean themselves. On the other hand, like all birds, hens lay their eggs in nests, which are shallow holes covered with grass. In the wild, although premature deaths are plentiful, wild chickens can live up to 15 years.
Where does the chicken live?
In this section, we'll focus on explaining where domestic chickens live anywhere in the world. The truth is that, looking at the customs and habitat of free-range or wild hens, we will see that there are few differences.Thus, the chickens that we can have in our house, not those that are used for the production of meat or eggs, that live on farms, are usually installed in chicken coops.
Your ideal living conditions should be those that respect your natural tendencies and behavior. Therefore, it is convenient for home chicken coops to have a closed and covered area with some elevated places which chickens can climb. On the other hand, the access to secure outdoor land allows them to develop basic behaviors such as digging the ground, taking sand baths or pecking.
In summary, confining a hen to a cage is not right, as these animals need space to move freely and carry out their daily habits. Therefore, if you do not have enough space to prepare a suitable chicken coop, we do not recommend adopting a chicken. Now, if you can provide all the care she needs, you'll have a very calm and affectionate animal, especially if you've had her since you were a puppy.
what does the chicken eat
In addition to where the chickens live, we are interested in knowing what they eat to ensure they get all the care they need. Like its wild relative, domestic chickens are omnivorous, which means your diet includes a large number of foods. In fact, there are few foods they cannot eat, such as avocados, tomatoes, rhubarb leaves or potato skins. Otherwise, they can feed on everything they find outdoors, from various plants, including nettles, to all kinds of insects, lizards and even small rodents. Sure, cereals, seeds, vegetables and fruits they are also part of your diet. However, they can't just feed on what they find in the chicken coop, so most of their diet must be provided by you. Some special preparations for all stages of chicken growth can be found on sale in specialized establishments.
Access to earth or gravel is important, not only because of the sand baths they enjoy so much, but also because it allows them to ingest the mineral materials that are stored in their gizzards. This organ stores stones that help the chickens crush their food, as they have no teeth.
How long does a chicken live?
We've already seen where and how much a hen lives in freedom, and now we'll see now how much a domestic hen lives. These birds will have a different life expectancy depending on the breed to which they belong. On average something between 5 and 10 years. So, as an example, if we want to know how long a guinea fowl, specifically the Numida meleagris, which is the most widespread species of these chickens, the number is between 6 and 8 years.
On the other hand, if you ask yourself how long a Japanese hen or a silky hen from Japan lives, there is hardly any difference from 5-10 years old, although the bantam varieties, of smaller size, have a decrease in life expectancy, which is between 4 and 8 years old.
Of course, for a hen to have a longer life expectancy, it is necessary to provide all the necessary care, adequate space and good nutrition, as we saw in the previous sections. In addition, being a pet that we have probably adopted since childhood, we cannot miss love and regular visits to the vet, who will indicate the vaccines that the chicken should receive and its deworming schedule.
To learn more about chickens, check out our article on why chickens can't fly?
How old does a rooster live?
For those looking to know how long does a rooster live, the truth is that life expectancy of rooster and hen is the same, so the average age of males also varies between 5-10 years, depending on the breed. Likewise, the care provided also directly influences the rooster's years of life, so if it has a good quality of life, it can live up to 12 years! In this sense, it is important to highlight that both the habitat and the feed are the same for hens and roosters, that is, there is no distinction between genders.
If you've adopted a chicken and still don't know what to name, check out many options for chicken names in this PeritoAnimal article.
