The Ancient Jungle Roots of Chickens

Despite being farm staples, every chicken on Earth is a direct descendant of the wild red junglefowl. These birds were once hidden in Southeast Asian forests before humans domesticated them 8,000 years ago.

It is fascinating to realize that your morning egg comes from a lineage that thrived in deep tropical jungles. While we see them as flightless barnyard dwellers today, their wild ancestors were agile forest creatures. Their transformation from jungle scavengers to a global food source is one of the most successful partnerships in human history. Today, chickens outnumber humans by more than three to one.