Chicken 鸡
（重定向自Domestic fowl）
![](/Images/godic/202501/09/Female_pair2154.jpg")
![In some breeds the adult rooster can be distinguished from the hen by his larger comb](/Images/godic/202501/09/Rooster_portrait22154.jpg")
![Hen with chicks, India](/Images/godic/202501/09/Hen_with_chicks,_Raisen_district,_MP,_India2154.jpg")
![Chicken eggs vary in colour depending on the hen, typically ranging from bright white to shades of brown and even blue, green, and recently reported purple (found in South Asia) (Araucana varieties).](/Images/godic/202501/09/Chicken_eggs2154.jpg")
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the red junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, with a population of more than 19 billion in 2011, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird or domestic animal. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs.