Chickens Are Charming! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tyrannosaurus rex

It's true! Scientists sequenced the genome of a chicken first, because chickens are so important to humans. They found that chickens share some of their DNA with Tyrannosaurus rex. When most dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, only one branch - birds - survived. Scientists believe that chickens were domesticated about 6000 BC in southern China.

Interestingly, it doesn't appear that they were first bred for food, but for fighting.

Answer: Cluck

They not only cluck, but they also squawk and yap! It's called the "egg song". Why? Some people think it is to scare away any egg predators. Others say it is a mating ritual to attract males. It could also be that the hen just laid an egg and has to brag about it! Sometimes their fellow chickens will chime in and the noise can go on for a while.

Not all breeds cluck; some are just overall more quiet than others.

Answer: Lizards

Lizards? Really? Sounds pretty gross, especially considering that humans eat the chickens that eat the lizards and lay the eggs. Believe it or not, lizards are a good source of protein and are pretty good nutrition for a chicken. Most lizards that are small enough for a chicken to catch are not poisonous or otherwise harmful to humans. And - if you watch carefully - chickens appear to actually enjoy "hunting" lizards. They will also eat small snakes if the opportunity presents itself.

Raw or dried beans of any kind contain phytohaemagglutinin, a toxin which is fatal to chickens and not especially good for humans either. While the flesh of the avocado is okay in moderation, the pit and the skin contain another fatal toxin to chickens called persin. Chocolate is bad for chickens for the same reason it's not good for other animals - it contains caffeine and theobromine - which can send a chicken into cardiac arrest.

Answer: Imprinting

Konrad Lorenz made a famous study in 1935 regarding birds and imprinting using goslings. When chickens are hatched they imprint on their mother - if she is there - within a day. While they do not imprint on humans as easily as goslings or ducklings do, they do develop a preference for certain individuals. Honestly, though, it's more humane to allow them to imprint on other chickens, as they are happier with their chicken pals. Believe it or not, though, chickens are actually quite intelligent. Pet chickens can even recognize their name, as well as the face of their owner.

Chicks can develop object permanence, the idea that something exists even if they can't see it, by the time they are two days old! Pipping is the process by which a baby chick pecks out of his egg shell. Tidbitting is the dance that males do to attract females.

Answer: Rooster

It is pretty easy to tell a female chicken, a hen, from a male chicken, which is called rooster. Typically, roosters, which are called cocks in the UK, have a longer tail, brighter feathers, and a more prominent comb on the top of his head. Although a few hens have been known to grow them, most mature males also have spurs on their legs. Scientists believe that the male with the best comb attracts the most females during mating season.

Answer: To help them digest their food

As they are pecking on the ground for food, chickens do eat gravel, which is also known as grit. Because they do not have teeth to break the food into smaller pieces, the gravel helps them to grind up and digest their food. Chickens swallow the food they eat whole and it goes into their crop, which stores the food until it goes to the proventriculus, where digestion begins to occur.

The particles that are still too big for them to eat go to their gizzard where, aided by the grit, they are further broken down.

Answer: Coop

Even the farmers who have free range chickens do not leave them outside all the time - just for their own protection from bad weather and predators. Chickens normally live in a coop, where the hens can nest and they all can sleep at night. There is also usually a run outdoors that is connected to the coop. The run is a place where they can take dirt baths, sun bathe, and look for food.

Answer: False

Most breeds of chickens can fly - but not for very long distances. They usually fly when they feel threatened. Thousands of years ago, before they were domesticated, chickens would fly up into the trees where it was safer to roost at night. By the way - chickens are really pretty fast runners if they need to be. They have been clocked in at running nine miles an hour!

Answer: Pecking order

Chickens do recognize a hierarchy within the flock; this is established pretty early in a chicken's life, so everyone knows where they stand. The chickens highest in the pecking order are entitled to the best food and nest. Those at the top can be pretty mean to those below them - and do actually peck at each other. Chickens can become stressed whenever changes in the flock occur.

When they are stressed, they tend to lose their feathers. And chickens who are raised in so-called chicken factories? They are confused about their social order their entire short life.

Answer: True

With an estimated 25 BILLION of them in the world today, there are more chickens than any other bird. In fact, there are more chickens in the world than humans! That's a good thing because it is estimated that Americans alone eat 8 billion chickens a year - an average of 80 pounds per person!