As they vanish from shelves and their prices skyrocket, everyone has eggs on the brain. But today, let’s talk about the animal that hatches out of them!
Chickens are the most abundant domesticated animal on the planet. Every breed of chicken is a descendant of the red junglefowl, a group-living bird found across South and Southeast Asia. They have precocial young, which means they are capable of moving around and foraging independently immediately after hatching – the chicks pictured here are only five days old!
Newly hatched chicks will stay close to their mother for a period of several weeks called the brooding period. But in an avian facility, where there are no mother hens, staff and researchers work together to take care of the young birds. Their brooding pen is kept warm and dark, lit only by heat lamps, and the chicks zip around on their little legs and cuddle together for naps. In the coming weeks, they will start to grow feathers, which will help them regulate their body temperature on their own.
Below: This water line stretches through the brooding pen. When a chick pecks at the metal spigot, it releases water to drink. This type of water drinker is common because it helps keep the rest of the pen dry and clean.
Photos and caption by Ruth Demree
Edited by Brady Nichols