The United States was officially founded as a nation on July 4, 1776, when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Although residents of the new country had plenty of chickens, many of the breeds we know today didn’t exist then. So let’s take a look at the chickens that were here at the time of the birth of the USA.
How did chickens get here prior to the birth of the USA?
No one is exactly sure who first brought chickens here. What is known is that they arrived with Dutch and Portuguese slave traders in the 1500s and 1600s, well before the birth of our nation.
Jamestown settlers also brought chickens in 1607, as did Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620. By 1776 chickens existed throughout the colonies.
Why did chickens become so popular in those early years?
In an era of self-sufficiency, they were readily accessible because:
- They were inexpensive
- They require less space than other livestock.
- They’re easy to raise, hardy, and adaptable.
- Flocks forage on scraps, insects, and garden waste.
- They control garden pests.
- Chicken manure makes good garden fertilizer.
- Chickens reproduce rapidly.
- They mature relatively quickly.
- They produce eggs.
- Both eggs and birds can provide needed income.
- Chickens may be slaughtered for meat.
How common was chicken meat in those days?
Chicken meat in the colonial era was not as common as it is today. In those days it was more of a treat than daily fair. Further, because of lack of refrigeration, the birds were typically harvested and eaten on the same day.
After hens hatched their chicks in the spring, a rooster that was no longer needed might be butchered for a special Sunday dinner. The rooster was eventually replaced by a newly hatched cockerel from the current year.
Hens that no longer laid well were also butchered for meat. But for most people in those days, eggs were more important than chicken meat.
Why were chicken eggs so important in the early days of the USA?
Eggs were an essential source of protein, especially for poorer households and enslaved people. In those days, flocks were tended mostly by women and children, while men were engaged mainly in raising larger livestock.
Eggs, along with the birds themselves, were also a source of income. The term egg money refers to the income women earned from the sale of eggs. This income provided cash for household needs, personal expenses, children’s clothing and education, and small luxuries. In short, egg money represented some measure of economic independence at a time when women had limited rights.
However, the resulting income was meager because hens weren’t nearly as prolific in those days as they are now. Today’s hens lay better for these reasons, among others:
- Selective breeding for egg production
- Modern knowledge about laying and winter lighting
- The development of specialized poultry rations
What chicken breeds were common in 1776?
The standardized breeds we know today didn’t come about until the mid 1800s. Chickens before that were usually mixed breeds that were hardy and well adapted to foraging.
The first chicken in the United States that could be considered a breed is the Dominique, also known as Pilgrim Fowl, and colloquially today known as Dominecker. This black and white dual-purpose chicken is often confused with the Barred Plymouth Rock, which didn’t appear until later. See:
What’s the Difference between a Barred Rock and a Dominique.
What Is a Dual Purpose Chicken?
Unlike the common person’s emphasis on chickens for eggs, wealthier residents were more interested in showy chickens like Polish and Silkie. But the first poultry show in the United States wasn’t held until 1849. Even then, judging fell into chaos because the breeds hadn’t yet been standardized, making it hard to tell which birds were actually purebred.
When did the American Poultry Association first standardize breeds?
Almost 100 years after the United States declared independence, in 1873 the American Poultry Association (APA) was formed in response to the need for standardized breeds. The next year the APA published its first Standard of Perfection, then called the Standard of Excellence.
The 102-page volume included 46 large size breeds. Today’s 414-page Standard includes 53 large size breeds, plus bantams, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl. See:
Standard Chicken versus Bantam, What’s the Difference?
How Many Chicken Breeds Are There?
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the first chicken breed in the USA?
The Dominique was developed as a breed by 1750 and is considered the earliest chicken breed in the United States. The systematic breeding and standardization that resulted in our current multitude of breeds and varieties didn’t occur until much later.
How did chickens first come to this country?
No one knows for sure how the first chickens got here. Dutch and Portuguese slave traders brought some in the 1500s and 1600s. Jamestown settlers and Pilgrims also brought chickens in the early 1600s. By 1776 they were ubiquitous throughout the colonies.
Who tended chicken flocks in the early days of the USA?
Those early mixed-breed chickens weren’t considered economically valuable, so they were mostly left to women, children, and enslaved African Americans.
What does the term egg money mean?
Egg money refers to the small but regular income women earned, and kept, from the sale of eggs. This side hustle allowed Colonial women some measure of economic independence.
What role did chickens play at the birth of the USA?
At the birth of the USA, chickens were important for the production of eggs — an essential source of protein for low-income households.
And that’s today’s news from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has raised chickens and various other poultry for more than 5 decades and has written several books about them, many available from the Cackle Bookstore.
