Home / Birds / Chickens, pheasants and quail / Chicken
No federal permit to keep In-depth sheetChicken
Gallus gallus domesticus
Also known as Domestic Chicken
Birds › Chickens, pheasants and quail (Galliformes) › Phasianidae (Chickens, pheasants and quail)
Chickens are hardy, social poultry. Chicks need indoor heat for their first 6 weeks; adults need secure, predator-proof coops.
Experience: Beginner
SocialFlocks
LayingFrom about 20 weeks
ChicksBrooder to 6–8 weeks
DietLife-stage feed
Care at a glance
Species-specific values
Values researched for this exact species. Where they differ from the group guide below, follow these. Air, surface and water temperatures are listed separately, and each source is kept as published rather than averaged.
| Preferred coop area per bird | at least: 1 m² RSPCA domestic-hen recommendation where possible; outdoor run additional. | 330 |
| Maximum coop stocking density | 3 birds/m² RSPCA fallback if 1 m² per bird cannot be provided; distinct from the preferred standard. | 330 |
| Minimum social group | 3 hens Compatible domestic females; no rooster required. | 330 |
| Minimum nest box dimensions | length: 30 cm; width: 30 cm; height: 30 cm Domestic laying hens. | 330 |
| Minimum nest box count | one per hens: 5 boxes; absolute minimum: 2 boxes | 330 |
| Perch width | 3–5 cm Rounded edges; domestic chickens. | 330 |
| Minimum roost length per bird | 15 cm | 330 |
| Initial brooder air temperature | 90–95 °F Chicks: measured 2 inches above the floor at the hover edge; provide a cooler choice. Not lamp-surface temperature. | 328 |
| Brooder weekly temperature reduction | 5 °F per week Hover brooder; continue supplemental heat according to feathering, weather and chick behavior. Radiant lamps need behavior-based assessment, not air readings alone. | 328 |
Care guide
Housing
- Chicks live in a heated brooder until 6–8 weeks old. Adults need predator-proof runs, with wire extending 3 ft along the ground, about 10 in (25 cm) of perch per bird and a nest box per 3 hens.
Sources 33
Feed by age
- Chick starter from day 1 to 6 weeks, grower feed from 6 to 20 weeks, layer pellets from about 20 weeks.
Sources 33
Show the group care guide for chickens, pheasants and quail
Group care guide
Chickens, pheasants and quail
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: These predominantly ground-foraging birds inhabit forests, scrub, grasslands and agricultural landscapes, with habitat varying by species. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Difficulty varies from domestic chickens and Japanese quail to specialist pheasants and grouse. King quail, common quail and chukar need their own stocking and breeding plans; pheasant dimensions are not quail minima. Herbivorous grouse and tragopans need substantial natural plant foods rather than standard poultry diets. Keep turkeys apart from chickens where histomoniasis transmission is a concern.
Housing & setup
- Combine an outdoor aviary with shelter from sun, wind and rain; tropical species need heated winter shelter in cold climates.
- For a pheasant pair, Clinical Avian Medicine gives a 4 × 6 m aviary plus 4 m² shelter; a common pheasant male with five or six hens needs 30–38 m².
- Use predator-excluding mesh and yielding overhead netting for pheasants and quail that flush vertically.
- Provide substrate for scratching and dust bathing, nest sites and concealing cover for quail.
- Provide elevated roosts for chickens, junglefowl, turkeys and roosting pheasants; ground-dwelling quail and partridges do not require high perches.
Diet
- Species- and life-stage-specific complete chicken, turkey, Japanese-quail or gamebird feed.
- Suitable seeds and invertebrates as species-specific additions, rather than an unbalanced replacement for complete feed.
- Insoluble grit when whole seeds are fed; calcium provision appropriate to laying status and the calcium already present in the ration.
Social life
- Keep compatible groups with cover and room to escape aggression; domestic turkeys are highly social, but breeding males and species differ in compatibility.
Health watch
- Coccidiosis.
- Histomoniasis, particularly in turkeys.
- Head and neck trauma during panic flights.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
Researched for this exact species, not its family. Good care copies these conditions.123
| Where it lives | A domesticated form without a native wild habitat; free-living feral populations occur on islands such as Kauai and Bermuda. These populations should not be equated with unmodified red junglefowl. |
| Social life | Feral populations form groups, sometimes exceeding 30 birds in the cited island observations. |
| Behavior to plan for | Domestic hens retain strong motivations to dust-bathe, use nests and roost on elevated perches; these are documented domestic behaviors, not native wild-population measurements. |
What this means for care
- Provide dry friable litter for dust bathing.
- Provide accessible night perches and secluded laying nests.
- Use breed-specific domestic care rather than assigning junglefowl climate tolerances.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 87°F (up to 91°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 63°F (down to 36°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 60–80°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 72–77% on average (driest month about 71%) |
| Rainfall | about 1358 mm a year, spread fairly evenly |
Measured at 133 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
Profile
Profile
Researched for this exact species. Sources are listed under In the wild above.
History
They have also featured in folklore, religion and literature across many societies.
Keeper tips
- Account for the species' social nature.
- Expect complex vocalizations and behaviors.
- Consider the particular breed and its specialization, because broiler and laying breeds have been developed for different purposes.
- A laying-bred hen may produce more than 300 eggs per year.
Behaviors reported
- Lives socially.
- Uses complex vocalizations.
Remarkable facts
- The chicken is the domesticated form of the red junglefowl.
- The ancestral red junglefowl is originally native to Southeast Asia.
- The global chicken population exceeded 26.5 billion as of 2023.
- More than 50 billion chickens are produced annually for consumption.
- A laying-bred hen can produce more than 300 eggs per year.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is the domesticated form of the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), originally native to Southeast Asia.Chickens are primarily kept for their meat and eggs, though they are also kept as pets. As of 2023, the global chicken population exceeded 26.5 billion, with more than 50 billion birds produced annually for consumption. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Reproduction | To initiate courting, some roosters may dance in a circle around or near a hen (a circle dance), often lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. The dance triggers a response in the hen and when she responds to his call, the rooster may mount the hen and proceed with the mating. Mating typically involves a sequence in which the male approaches the female and performs a waltzing display. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Appearance and size | Chickens are relatively large birds, active by day. The body is round, the legs are unfeathered in most breeds, and the wings are short. Wild junglefowl can fly, whereas domestic chickens and their flight muscles are too heavy to allow them to fly more than a short distance. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| History and naming | The word chicken comes from Old English ċicen (pronounced essentially the same as in Modern English). While the origin is Germanic, it is unclear exactly where the word came from, although it could ultimately have come from an imitation of the sound a chicken makes. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Maximum recorded lifespan
Highest reported30years
Longest recorded lifespan reported by each database; typical lifespans are usually shorter. The AnAge record comes from an animal in human care.
Typical adult weight
Average of sources29.9oz
Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).
Incubation
Reported20days
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- The apicoplast genome of Leucocytozoon caulleryi, a pathogenic apicomplexan parasite of the chicken Imura T et al., Parasitology research 2014
- Learning and motor inhibitory control in crows and domestic chickens Wascher CAF et al., Royal Society open science 2021
- Earliest economic exploitation of chicken outside East Asia: Evidence from the Hellenistic Southern Levant Perry-Gal L et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2015
- Surveillance of Drug Residue Profiles in Gallus gallus domesticus (Silkie Chickens) in Taiwan Ke CH et al., Animals: an open access journal from MDPI 2024
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. See all 50 on PubMed → 170
Sources for this sheet
- Royal Veterinary College Exotics Service: Chicken care Zoo, university or veterinaryVet-school exotics hospital factsheet, reviewed 2021–2024.
- AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources) Peer-reviewed researchCurated, referenced longevity and life-history records for thousands of species; maximum lifespans are often from zoo animals.
- Myhrvold et al. (2015). An amniote life-history database. Ecology 96: 3109 Peer-reviewed researchPeer-reviewed compilation of life-history data for over 21,000 birds, mammals and reptiles.
- Clinical Avian Medicine, Chapter 38: Management of Galliformes Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutrition in Quail, Pheasants, Turkeys, and Other Gallinaceous Birds Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- UK Home Office: Advisory standards for care and accommodation of animals used for scientific purposes — birds Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Animal Diversity Web: Phasianidae Peer-reviewed researchAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Peer-reviewed researchInternational scientific taxonomy used here for classification.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
