CHAPTER II 



THE DOMESTIC FOWL 



Origin of Domestic Birds. — The domestic fowl is a term 

 commonly applied to those birds which are reared for do- 

 mestic uses. They belong to the large and mixed group of 

 scratching birds. The following are the more common 

 species: the domestic hen, the turkey, the guinea fowl, the 

 partridge, and the pheasant. Scientists tell us that there 

 were two original species which entered into the early history 

 and development of our domestic hen. One of these ancestors 

 was the jungle fowl (Gallus Bankiva), and this species is 

 quite common in the wilds of central Asia and the jungles 

 of India. It is a small bird, less than one half the size of 

 our American breeds of to-day. It has a single comb and 

 wattles; its ear lobes are similar to those of our domestic 

 fowls. Its shanks are slender, relatively short, and greenish 

 in color. The female is much smaller than the male, this 

 being characteristic of a great many wild birds (Fig. 31). 



Owing to the fact that these fowls have lived in a wild 

 state for many years, they are capable of extended flight. 

 In mode of life they resemble the quail and pheasant. In 

 order properly to develop the life history of our present 

 breeds we are compelled to assume that another species 

 besides the Gallus must have been present in the early ages. 

 This ancestor must have been of heavier build, with an abun- 

 dance of feathers, especially on the shanks. It is supposed 

 to have been the Malay or Aseel fowl, which is now only 

 rarely found. The Malay is probably one of the earliest 

 species of the domestic fowl. Records and legends of antiq- 

 uity mention them as being raised in Asia nearly four thou- 

 sand years ago. The Malay fowl has the characteristics 

 which are common in our heavier fowls, but are not apparent 

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