The Egg Or The Chicken: How Travel And Trade Spread

Poultry

Worldwide

Quick Summary

Did you know the modern chicken, yes, the ones that are roasted, grilled, or simmered in gravies, did not exist naturally? What’s even more fascinating is that the ancestors of the modern poultry – the jungle fowl or G. gallus–were domesticated for entertainment and cock fights. They were human companions for several years before the idea of eating them even crossed someone’s mind.

Deep Dive

Many species that are on our dining tables and in our pantries, in particular vegetables and meats, are a result of intentional human manipulation. The modern chicken with its white to brownish feathers was the result of human meddling with the jungle fowl. The diversity of chickens today, from the commercially raised ones to colourful breeds and ornamental varieties, reflects centuries of selective breeding for traits such as egg yield, meat quality, disease resistance, adaptability to different environments, and even unique physical characteristics. But before these complexities came to be, what were humans doing with their chicken? 

The Red Jungle Fowl

The modern domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) traces its primary ancestry to the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a wild pheasant-like bird native to Southeast Asia and surrounding regions. Genetic and historical studies further confirm this. Although red junglefowl provide the core genetic foundation, domestic chickens don’t derive their DNA from them alone. 

DNA evidence shows that other Gallus species also contributed to the modern chicken’s genetic makeup – for instance, the yellow skin trait in many domestic breeds comes from the grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii), and physical traits in some breeds reflect contributions from Sri Lankan (G. lafayettii) and green junglefowl (G. varius).

The famed naturalist Charles Darwin recognised the similarity between domestic chickens and red junglefowl when he was developing evolutionary theory, noting how domestic breeds varied from their wild relatives through human-mediated selection – a key insight supporting natural selection concepts.

When and Where Domestication Happened

Chicken bones from over 600 archaeological sites in 89 countries were systematically re-evaluated: here scientists have pinpointed the earliest unambiguous domestic chicken remains to Ban Non Wat in central Thailand, dating to between about 1650 BCE and 1250 BCE – approximately 3,500 years ago. This places the domestication event in the Bronze Age, much later than some older claims suggested.

The broader context makes sense archaeologically: early dry-rice farming landscapes in Southeast Asia – where rice was planted on upland soil soaked by rain rather than flooded paddies – created open foraging opportunities. These fields attracted wild red junglefowl, increasing contact with humans and likely leading to gradual taming and management.

Why Chickens Were Domesticated

New archaeological evidence shows that the earliest domestic chickens weren’t initially kept as a meat or egg source. Instead, they were likely valued for other cultural and social reasons, such as being fascinating, symbolic, or exotic animals in early human societies. Chickens appear in burials and ritual contexts, suggesting they were seen as special rather than food early on. The strongest driver for initial domestication appears to have been ecological: the spread of dry rice agriculture in Southeast Asia. Wild red junglefowl were attracted to cultivated grain – especially rice and millet.

Chicken’s Spread Across Asia

From Southeast Asia, chickens followed humans along trade and migration routes. The earliest trace of domestic chickens in China dates back to the late Shang Dynasty, approximately 1350 to 1046 BCE. They were found at sites like Yinxu and Dasikongcun in Henan Province.

Moving more eastwards to Japan, chickens arrived here during the middle Yayoi period, with radiocarbon dating placing chicken bones from the Karako-Kagi site between 381-204 BCE. Most Yayoi-period chicken remains are male, suggesting chickens were initially brought through trade rather than bred locally. Japan eventually developed approximately 45 unique breeds.

Entry into Europe and the Mediterranean

Many bones thought to represent early European chickens were actually much more recent. Chickens arrived in the Mediterranean around 800 BCE, transported by Greek, Etruscan, and Phoenician maritime traders along routes suited to these heat-loving birds. Archaeological evidence confirms chickens were present in Italy by the eighth century BCE. The earliest depictions of chickens in Europe appear on Corinthian pottery from the seventh century BCE.

During the Iron Age in Europe, chickens were venerated rather than eaten. Many early chickens are found buried individually and un-butchered, often interred with humans – males with cockerels, females with hens. Only during the Roman Empire did chickens and eggs become popular as food. In Britain, chicken consumption didn't become widespread until the third century CE, primarily in urban and military sites.

Establishing chickens in the cooler northern climate took time. The tropical red jungle fowl found it difficult to adapt to harsh winters. It took nearly 1,000 additional years for chickens to become established in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Iceland. Chickens were not introduced to the Scottish Isles until Norse arrivals around 800 CE.

Africa and Beyond

Chickens reached Africa between 1,100 and 800 years ago through trade networks. Their movement across the Pacific islands follows patterns of Polynesian migration, with ancient DNA from Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, and Hawaii documenting their dispersal across Oceania.

The Araucana breed found in Chile's Araucania region continues to generate debate. Some scientists believe it represents the pre-Columbian Polynesian introduction, but DNA evidence disputes this theory.

The Rise of the Hybrid Chickens

The 20th century transformed chicken production. Henry A. Wallace, founder of Pioneer hybrid seed corn company, recognised that hybrid breeding techniques could apply to chickens. In 1936, he established Hy-Line Poultry Genetics. DeKalb seed corn company began developing hybrid layers in 1944. Universities contributed lines like the Wisco White and California White.

Modern hybrid layers revolutionised egg production. Today's commercial hens produce over 300 eggs per year and convert about two pounds of feed into a dozen large eggs – far exceeding purebred performance. Most hybrid layer genetics is now concentrated in several large international companies that supply parent stock to hatcheries worldwide.

The Current Status

More than 40 billion chickens are produced annually worldwide by commercial operations. They've adapted to climates from subarctic to desert and been bred into hundreds of distinct varieties. Red jungle fowl still exist in Southeast Asian forests, living much as they did 3,500 years ago when domestication began.

Modern chickens retain many ancestral behaviors including being most active at dawn and dusk, and males performing ‘tidbitting’ – picking up and dropping food while calling females over to eat.

From Companions to Food

Humans have been found buried with chickens, and breeding them for meat and eggs was not on the agenda initially; it was a gradual process for humans to consume chicken for their meat. But once chickens found their way to humans, just like dogs and cats, they were raised among humans in their different ways. This long, intertwined relationship blurs the line between nature and human intervention, leading to one of the oldest riddles with no conclusion: which came first, the chicken or the egg?