Chickens – Are Chickens Mammals or Birds / Differences Between Chicken, Hen, and Rooster

Are Chickens Mammals or Birds? Read this post to the end to  find out .

Chicken is a type of domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the red jungle fowl. It is one of the most common and widespread domestic animals in the world.

There are more chickens in the world than any ther bird. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food (consuming both their meat and eggs) and, more rarely, as pets.

Originally, Chicken was raised for cockfighting or for special ceremonies. chickens were not kept for food until the Hellenistic period (fourth–second centuries BCE).

Have you ever wondered if Chicken is Mammals or Birds? You don’t have to think much about it anymore as this article will help you know whether chickens are Mammals or Birds.

Are Chicken Mammals or Birds?

To answer whether chickens are mammals or are they birds, we need to understand the basic difference between the two animal groups.

Mammals are a warm-blooded vertebrate animal that possesses fur or hair and has glands to secrete milk by which they feed their young ones.

They are also warm-blooded, and most of them have teeth. The only exception to the last is anteaters, which do not have teeth.

Birds too are warm-blooded vertebrate animals that possess feathers, wings, and beaks. However, unlike mammals, birds lay eggs instead of giving birth to young ones.

Having established that fact, it is quite obvious that chickens are birds and not a mammal. Chickens like all other birds lay the egg and are covered with feathers.

Not just that, mammals have mammary glands and chickens do not have. The only mammals that do not possess any hair are dolphins and whales.

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Clear Differences Between Chicken, Hen, and Rooster

Chicken: The general term for the species as a whole. This includes both male and female adults.
Chick: Just like “Chicken” this is a term for the species as a whole, both male and female. But this term is for young males and females that have not reached adulthood yet.

Hen: This term is for an adult female chicken.
Pullet: This is a young female chicken that has not reached adulthood yet. Basically pullets haven’t reached the age where they start laying eggs.

Rooster: An adult male chicken. These are the ones that crow, generally starting super early in the morning.
Cockerel: A young male chicken that has not reached adulthood yet.

Let’s also consider some unique features of chicken.

1. Bones

The bones of a chicken are uniquely hollow and help them to maximize strength for weight. Their air sacs sit within their lightweight frame. These air sacs are filled and deflated by the input from their respiratory system.

2. Feathers

Another unique feature of chickens is that they do not have hairs or scales rather, have feathers and, you would agree with me that feathers are a unique identifier of the fowl species.

3. Lays Eggs

For chickens, the fertilized egg is not carried internally as is with mammals. Gestation for the soon-to-be chick happens outside of the body. And, the development of the chick, as in the case of mammals, but this happens in a nest and not in a womb.

4. Beaks

A bird’s beak is assumed as a defining feature of the fowl family. But incredibly, both mammals and reptiles share this attribute although not in shape but in composition.

5. Warm-Blooded

A chicken is a warm-blooded animal. This implies that their body temperature is internally maintained .The normal body temperature of a chicken is between 105 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit of an this happens to be temperature of someone having big fever.

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