Poultry

Domestication of fowl began in prehistoric times in both the Old World and the New World. By far the most important domesticated fowl was the chicken (Gallus domesticus), which most likely descended from a combination of several species of jungle fowl native to southern and Southeast Asia. Chickens are highly prized because they lay many more eggs than the hens of other fowl and do so throughout the year, providing a steady source of food. In pre-Columbian times, chickens were widely dispersed throughout the Old World and the Pacific Islands. Soon after the beginning of European exploration of the New World in the sixteenth century, chickens were disseminated throughout the Americas. Chickens were kept throughout all the American colonies, and most farms and plantations permitted chickens to roam freely about yards.