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Poultry is the class of domesticated fowl (birds) farmed for their meat, eggs or feathers. These most typically are members of the orders Galliformes (such as chickens and turkeys), and Anseriformes (waterfowl such as ducks and geese).

The word poultry is often used to refer to the meat of these birds. In a more general sense, it may refer to the meat of other birds, such as pigeons or doves, or game birds like quails or pheasants. It may also refer exclusively to the most common domesticated bird across the globe, the chicken, with origins as far back as the old French for a young chicken, poulet. Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), also referred to as fowl, are descended from the red jungle fowl of Asia.

Commercial Poultry

Poultry is the class of domesticated fowl (birds) farmed for their meat, eggs or feathers. These most typically are members of the orders Galliformes (such as chickens and turkeys), and Anseriformes (waterfowl such as ducks and geese). The word poultry is often... read more

Fancy Chicken Breeds

It is not always easy to categorise a pure chicken breed. It may be divided into a variety and again subdivided into a strain. Illustrations of a breed may be taken as... read more

Fancy Duck Breeds

Popular as a pet, the domestic duck is descended from the green-headed mallard (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos) and belongs to a large group of dabbling ducks that filter feed close to or on... read more

Fancy Goose Breeds

The American Poultry Association (APA) has three weight classifications for geese. Light 2.5 – 6.4 kg Medium 6.4 – 9.5 kg Heavy > 10 kg Did you know? Waterfowl are certain wildfowl... read more

Game Birds

As the name implies, game birds are birds that are hunted in the wild, as well as kept in captivity where they are raised, often with some difficulty. They include guinea fowl, partridge, pheasants, squabs, and quail.... read more

Ratites

Ratites are a diverse group of five flightless birds and as a consequence they have no keel on their sternum (breast bone). The emu and cassowary are native to Australia. The latter is also found... read more