Poultry is the category of domesticated birds which people keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or kill for their meat and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails and turkeys) and the family Anatidae (in order Anseriformes), commonly known as "waterfowl" (e.g. domestic ducks and domestic geese). Poultry also include other birds which are killed for their meat, such as pigeons or doves or birds considered to be game, like pheasants. The term also refers to the flesh of such birds.
Examples of types of poultry are as follows.
| Bird | Wild ancestor | Domestication | Killed or used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Red Junglefowl | India, c. 3000 BC | meat, feathers, eggs, ornamentation |
| Duck | Mallard/Muscovy Duck | various | meat, feathers, eggs |
| Emu | Emu | various, 20th century | meat, leather, oil |
| Goose | Greylag Goose/Swan Goose | various | meat, feathers, eggs |
| Indian peafowl | Indian Peafowl | various | meat, feathers, ornamentation, landscaping |
| Mute swan | Mute Swan | various | feathers, eggs, landscaping |
| Ostrich | Ostrich | various, 20th century | meat, feathers, leather |
| Turkey | Wild Turkey | Mexico | meat, feathers |
| Domesticated guineafowl | Helmeted guineafowl | Africa | meat, pest consumption, and alarm calling |
| Common pheasant | Common pheasant | Eurasia | meat |
| Golden pheasant | Golden pheasant | Eurasia | meat, mainly ornamental |
| Rhea | Rhea | various, 20th century | meat, leather, oil, eggs |
Cuts of poultry
Cuts from a skinned chicken.The meatiest parts of a bird are the flight muscles on its chest, called breast meat, and the walking muscles on the first and second segments of its legs, called the thigh and drumstick, respectively.
White meat has less oxygen-carrying myoglobin than the dark meat, and is thus lighter in color. Dark meat comes from muscles more heavily exercised, which therefore have more fat stored in them. This accounts for both dark meat's reputation as being unhealthier, and yet more flavorful. Birds that fly rarely (domestic turkey) or sporadically (chicken) have white meat breasts, and birds that fly frequently or long distances (ducks, geese and doves) have dark meat breasts. Quail breast meat is intermediate in color. Leg meat is dark.
See also
| Food portal |
External links
- Information on Poultry Diseases
- PoultryCast podcast
- PoultryHub.org is a wiki-based collaborative resource centre where people share information about poultry
- The Poultry Guide - A to Z and FAQs
- World Poultry.net - all you need to know about poultry
- ChickenCrossing.Org - Information,discussion, links about chickens & other poultry
| This poultry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories: Poultry | Meat | Livestock | Domesticated birds |
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ABC Online
Woolworth's decision to scale back on caged eggs in its stores has been welcomed by one poultry farmer in Western Australia. Emerald Eggs in Carnarvon ...
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