Chicken: The Chicken Reaches America

The worldwide migration of the chicken was hugely successful. The birds’ compact size and obvious utility on and off ships made them ideal immigration partners with the earliest Spanish and English colonists in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, although some contend that chickens reached the New World, specifically South America, through earlier contacts. By virtue of their adaptability to a variety of environments, chickens are now found throughout America, from the blustery shores of Maine to the warmth of Baja California. They also thrive on the islands of Hawaii. It is amazing to observe them scratch at the poorest soil, somehow finding enough sustenance not only to stay alive but also to raise their chicks and to help provide for the family table. Although chickens are not generally found on the boulevards of cities or the manicured streets of suburbia, it is not uncommon to find them kept as pets in city apartments.