Battery Hens Campaign: Background Information

The Battery Hen's Ancestors

The ancestors of modern laying hens are thought to be the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus spadiceus) that lives in the jungles of India and south-east Asia. In nature, the jungle fowl would live in small, stable flocks, spending the day foraging on the ground amongst the leaves searching for food and, at night, roosting on low branches (to avoid attacks from the ground). Hens would, if left to their own devices, lay one or two clutches of eggs each year, in nests built for this purpose, and protect their offspring during the first vulnerable weeks of their lives.

Hens are social animals, naturally choosing to live in small flocks where a stable 'pecking order' can be maintained. They have a powerful inborn motivation to build a nest in which to lay eggs, and are driven to dust bathe, scratch, spread their wings (wing flapping), preen, forage for food and to perch.

Domestic hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) first appeared in China around 1400 BC. They were one of the first domestic animals to appear in recorded history.

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