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- Chickens are the most commonly domesticated birds worldwide, grown for food and, less commonly, as pets.
- Domestic chickens are descendants of an Indian wild bird called the red junglefowl, which was domesticated around 5000 years ago in Asia. In Ancient Greece, they were still regarded as exotic animals and were admired for their courage and beautiful feathers. In Aesop’s fables, even lions are frequently scared of chickens.
- They are intelligent and docile animals, frequently showing affection and curiosity, as well as having their own distinctive personalities and social requirements for humans or other chickens. As pets, they can be expected to live from 3 to 10 years or even longer, in the case of certain breeds. The oldest chicken known died at the age of 16 from heart failure.
- Chickens are omnivores, eating mainly seeds and grass, but also insects, lizards, snakes, and mice.
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