Barbara Sandri - Chickenology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia

Published by
Princeton Architectural Press
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Hudson, New York 12534
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Text copyright 2021 by Barbara Sandri and Francesco Giubbilini
Illustration copyright 2021 by Camilla Pintonato

Published by arrangement with Debbie Bibo Agency

English edition 2021 Princeton Architectural Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-61689-908-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-64896-040-6 (epub2)
ISBN 978-1-64896-042-0 (epub3)
ISBN 978-1-64896-044-4 (mobi)

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher, except in the context of reviews.

Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify owners of copyright.
Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions.

Designer: Camilla Pintonato
Translator: Sylvia Notini

For Princeton Architectural Press:
Editor: Kristen Hewitt

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

Variety is the spice of life. And the same can be said for the life of chickens: there are many chicken breeds that differ in terms of their feathers and sizes and also in the color of their eggs. And just like people, every chicken has its own personality and temperament.

Some chickens have too many feathers! The ones around their ears and on their necks give these ones a funny look...

Some chickens have feathers that are decorated with splendid geometric patterns.

Others look a lot like condors, without a single feather on their necks.

And some have so many feathers on their heads you can hardly see their eyes!

Some chickens are as soft as a pillow, with round, fluffy feathers.

There are chickens that are black from head to foot, beak and comb included.

Other chickens have incredibly long tails!

Some breeds have feathers that are so soft and silky they look like cat fur, and it makes you want to stroke them!

The rooster and the hen are the adult male and female of the subspecies Gallus gallus domesticus. You can see the differences right away: the male, for instance, is always much more conspicuous than the female, as is often the case in nature.

Subspecies: Gallus gallus domesticus

Species: Gallus gallus

Genus: Gallus

Family: Phasianidae

Order: Galliformes

Class: Aves

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Domain: Eukaryota

When a chicken egg hatches, a chick is born! At first it is hard to tell whether the chick is a male or a female. As it grows, this becomes clearer: young roosters are called cockerels, and young hens are called pullets. They become adults in just six to eight months. Thats when the hen starts laying eggs and the rooster starts crowing and courting. If courting leads to mating, the eggs are fertilized. Chicks can only hatch from fertilized eggs. But first a hen must sit on them!

After courtship and mating, the hen sits on the fertilized eggs for twenty-one days, at the end of which the chicks hatch. This is called brooding. During that time the hen never leaves the eggs alone in the nest, except for when it needs water and food. A hen can brood up to fifteen eggs at the same time.

Even among chickens there are heavyweights and... featherweights! A chickens size and weight vary greatly depending on the breed: there are chickens so small they can perch in the palm of a hand (dwarf breeds) and others that are taller than a three-year-old child (giant breeds). The lightest chickens weigh just over half a pound, the weight of an orange, while bigger chickens can weigh up to eleven pounds, which is as much as a whole crate of oranges!

The henhouse is never a peaceful, quiet place: hens, roosters, and chicks can make lots of different noises, depending on their sex, age, situation, and what they want to communicate.

Did you know that chickens like to coo while relaxing? This soft, peaceful murmuring sound is a lot like the purring of a cat.

When chickens forage for food they make a murmuring sound, and when they find something especially delicious the murmuring grows more intense and festive!

Chicks can be heard inside the henhouse too! The sound they typically make is a sweet, delicate series of cheep cheeps that accompanies the clucking of the hens all day long.

The rooster doesnt just crow at dawn, it crows all day long. Some roosters can even emit powerful cock-a-doodle-dos that last as long as twenty seconds!

Red alarm! If the chicken cries buuuk buk buk buk desperately and longer than usual, thats a sign of danger. Every chicken for itself!

When the chicken goes buk buk buk BAKAW it means it has just laid an egg and is inviting the other chickens to do the same. This is because if a predator were to find more than one egg in the nest, this chickens egg would have a greater chance of survival.