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The Good Ol’ Chicken Challenge

Sucheta Pradhan

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Almost every non-vegetarian on Earth loves chicken dishes. But how much do you really know about the chicken itself? Let’s find out!
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What’s the name?
The domesticated subspecies of chicken, found particularly in Southeast Asia, have been named scientifically as Gallus gallus domesticus. Some species of this family are found in East Asia too.
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Let’s play!
People started domesticating chickens solely for the purpose of cockfighting, a blood sport that has been in practice since 6,000 years. They began to be kept for consumption purpose at a much later date.
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Who am I?
When a cockerel or rooster is neutered or castrated, it is known as Capon. In his world-renowned play, “As You Like It”, Shakespeare described capon as the food of the rich and elite.
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Live long & prosper!
An average  chicken lives between five to ten years, depending on its breed. Interestingly, the oldest surviving hen in the world lived for as many as 16 years before it succumbed to heart failure.
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Eat it right!
Chicken is an omnivorous bird. In their natural habitat, these birds are known to consume seeds, insects, small reptiles, and even rodents.
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Fear(less)?
People extremely scared of chickens are known as Alektorophobic. It is a rare condition in which the affected show symptoms ranging from mild fear or discomfort to debilitating panic attacks.
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Color me black!
Ayam Cemani is an Indonesian chicken breed, which is black in color due to a dominant gene causing hyperpigmentation. These birds not only appear black externally, but their internal organs are also black.
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Sick of it!
Popularly known as bird flu, avian influenza is a viral disease commonly found in chickens. One of its strains, Influenza A or H7N9, can also sustain through man-to-man transmission in humans.
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Clean it off!
Chickens clean themselves by putting dry dirt on their own bodies and feathers, and then shaking it off. This process is known as “dust bath”.
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Watch out!
Chickens are known to sleep with one eye open. In this condition, one half of their brain is resting while the other half is conscious so that they can relax and watch out for predators at the same time.
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Spice it up!
Jamaican jerk chicken is an exotic Caribbean dish that is earthy, sweet, and spicy at the same time. It is made by mixing onions, garlic, Scotch bonnet peppers, and other exotic spices to make it a tasty treat.
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Foxy intentions!
In English slang, the idiom ‘fox in the hen house’ refers to a situation wherein a person with bad or harmful intentions enters the domain or space occupied by good people.
You have now completed the challenge. Let’s see how successful you were!