Chicken
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A chicken is a bird that is commonly domesticated for food. Chickens are one of the few birds that cannot fly. Other notable exceptions include the emu, ostrich, and the penguin. Chickens, like all birds lay eggs.
A rooster is a male chicken. Roosters received their names due to the tendency of roosters to "roost" over a clutch of eggs.
Unlike other creatures, chickens are able to survive for a short time without their heads, and the phrase "running around like a chicken with its head cut off" has entered the vernacular to mean a person who is extremely busy but directionless.
Chickens are mentioned in the Bible:
- O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)