World Chicken Day

People raise poultry for meat and eggs, down and feathers, and droppings as one of the valuable types of natural fertilizers. Ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys are second in popularity to chickens. Birds began to be used in agriculture about 10 thousand years ago. According to one version, the ancestor of the domestic chicken is the bank rooster from Southeast Asia. Birds appeared in the Middle East about 2,800 years ago. In Europe, the first to domesticate chickens were the Etruscans, an ancient people who lived on the territory of modern Asia. From there, the culture of poultry breeding spread to northern Europe: Scandinavia, Britain and Iceland. Initially, chickens were purchased for decorative purposes - people valued roosters for their bright colorful plumage and loud cries in the morning. Over time, their meat and eggs began to be eaten. As a sign of gratitude to these birds, a funny holiday has been established. Every second Thursday of November is celebrated as World Chicken Day. The world bird population reaches 30 billion individuals. In many cuisines around the world, chicken eggs and meat are more popular than other foods due to the cheapness and ease of raising birds compared to cattle or pigs. Down and feathers have long been used to fill pillows and blankets and to produce warm outerwear. For food consumption, people breed many meat and egg breeding breeds. Birds are also an object of sporting interest. They were bred in Tsarist Russia for park baiting (hunting) in “amusing yards.” One of the lines of modern selection is the cultivation of Central Asian kulangs, Malayan, English, Moscow, Indian black, Cornish fighting breeds. World Chicken Day is celebrated in both November and October, like the American National Chicken and Waffles Day. In Russia, chickens are traditionally celebrated on St. Sylvester's Day - January 2 according to the Julian calendar. Poultry farming was one of the main branches of agriculture. During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the boyar estates were engaged in breeding purebred Dutch roosters. In 1842, Cochins were brought to Russia from England. They were very much valued along with the Pavlovsk and Gilyan breeds of chickens. In 1880, the Society of Poultry Fans was founded in Moscow by cockfighting enthusiasts. It existed until 1906. In November of this year, the All-Russian Congress of Poultry Farmers issued a verdict: “Cockfighting, as a sport and a measure for improving Russian poultry farming, is not desirable and does not deserve encouragement.” Since that time, breeders began to place the main emphasis on egg-bearing and meat-bearing varieties. Everyone will learn about the history of the appearance of birds in the home, the diversity of species, the peculiarities of chicken breeding and other interesting facts during the celebration of World Chicken Day.