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120 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure 7.1 Active, alert chicks under a heat lamp in a brooder. Source: photo courtesy of Dan Famini.

At some point, chickens also became valued for their contributions to the table, namely in the form
of eggs and meat (Figure 7.1).
Humans have bred chickens selectively for favorable traits, concentrating on livability and pro-
duction, usually incorporating environmental considerations into breeding. This is apparent when
studying the various classes of standardbred chickens, organized by world region by the American
Poultry Association, an organization dedicated to advocating purebred poultry and their origins.
The American class of chickens, for example, comprises 13 breeds of chickens, all of which char-
acteristically have rounded bodies and thick, loose plumage to insulate against New England win-
ters and provide a balance between egg production and meat quantity. These are currently classified
as dual‐purpose chickens. In contrast, the Mediterranean class of chickens encompasses seven
breeds of chickens characterized by a long, lean body shape and plumage held close to the body for
hot summers, frequently dark plumage, high alertness to evade predators in year‐round foliage,
and keenness to forage widely while producing a high number of eggs. Most of these are catego-
rized as laying‐type chickens. Commercial broiler chickens are the best example of meat‐type
chickens, and their sole purpose is to produce meat. See American Poultry Association (2015) for
further descriptions, illustrations, and breed histories of purebred domestic poultry. It is not the
intention of this chapter to address raising commercial meat and egg‐producing chickens, because
these birds and situations have specific management needs.

Domestication of Other Galliformes
Because turkeys, pheasants, quail, and partridges were domesticated more recently than chickens,
there are fewer domestic breeds of these game birds. Turkeys are thought to have been domesti-
cated from North and Central America’s Wild Turkey (Meleagris galapavo) in Mexico by the Aztecs
as meat birds. They were introduced into Europe in the mid‐sixteenth century (Richardson 1897).
Varieties such as the Royal Palm and Narragansett were developed in Europe and North America
and can still be found in hobbyists’ yards and poultry shows. Today’s predominant modern meat
turkeys are strains of the Broad Breasted White breed, developed for quick rate of growth and lack
of visible feather tracts after processing. These birds are strikingly different from wild turkeys and
exhibition turkeys. If left to grow to full size, strains of modern meat turkeys can weigh upwards of