What was the purpose of domesticating chickens?

Originally raised for cockfighting or for special ceremonies, chickens were not kept for food until the Hellenistic period (4th–2nd centuries BC). Humans now keep chickens primarily as a source of food (consuming both their meat and eggs) and as pets.

When did chicken become domesticated?

2000 BC
Chicken domestication was previously considered to have occurred in the Indus Valley at around 2000 BC6. However, West and Zhou7 proposed an earlier origin in Southeast Asia, before the 6000 BC, based on archaeological evidence from China, Southeast Asia, and Europe, and palaeoclimatic evidence in China.

Who domesticated the chicken?

Until now, the origin of the domesticated chicken has remained up for debate, though most in the field have suspected that it got its start somewhere in China (sometime around 7500 B.C.E.) and involved one or more subspecies of red jungle fowl.

Are chickens considered domesticated?

The bird known as the chicken ( Gallus domesticus ) is a domesticated version of the Indian and Southeast Asian Red Jungle Fowl ( Gallus gallus ), still found in the wild today. All the major federal animal protection laws exclude chickens and most state laws specifically exclude farm animals.

When did goats become domesticated?

10,000 years ago
Goats were domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in the area around the Zagros mountains in what is now western Iran. The finding suggests goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated, with only dogs unambiguously preceding them.

How did humans domesticate chickens?

Scholars agree that they were first domesticated from a wild form called red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a bird that still runs wild in most of southeast Asia, most likely hybridized with the gray junglefowl (G. sonneratii). That occurred probably about 8,000 years ago.

What animal was first domesticated by humans?

Goats were probably the first animals to be domesticated, followed closely by sheep. In Southeast Asia, chickens also were domesticated about 10,000 years ago. Later, people began domesticating larger animals, such as oxen or horses, for plowing and transportation. These are known as beasts of burden.