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[3]: 89 It is a good layer of very large tinted eggs, and lays well in winter. [3]: 89 [8] The hens are good sitters and good mothers, and may be used to hatch the eggs of turkeys and ducks. [8] The meat tends to be coarse in texture and excessively dark; capons slaughtered at an age of 12–16 months provide a good large table bird. [8]
The chicken breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association are listed in the American Standard of Perfection. They are categorized into classes: standard-sized breeds are grouped by type or by place of origin, while bantam breeds are classified according to type or physical characteristics .
The physical traits used to distinguish chicken breeds are size, plumage color, comb type, skin color, number of toes, amount of feathering, egg color, and place of origin. [1] They are also roughly divided by primary use, whether for eggs, meat, or ornamental purposes, and with some considered to be dual-purpose. [1]
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The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs; others are kept as pets [1] or for cockfighting.
The hens are regularly broody and are known to be good sitters and attentive mothers. They are not very productive egg layers. Some will lay a few eggs during the winter months. Care must be taken so that the Pekin's foot feathering does not get soiled. Soiled feet could lead to foot rot or the chicken becoming lame.
In heavy breeds of chickens, warm weather tends to bring about broodiness. [8] Removing eggs each day, out of the sight of the hens, helps avoid broodiness not only in domestic poultry but also in some wild species in captivity. This continued egg laying means more eggs are laid than would occur under natural conditions.
The only living mammals that lay eggs are echidnas and platypuses. In the latter, the eggs develop in utero for about 28 days, with only about 10 days of external incubation (in contrast to a chicken egg, which spends about one day in tract and 21 days externally). [11] After laying her eggs, the female curls around them.