POULTRY GALORE
Poultry is defined as domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, meat or feathers. The most typical poultry birds include chickens, ducks and turkeys.
The chicken breed featured in the painting is the Brahma chicken, known for its heavily-feathered legs and surprisingly large size which made it one of the world's largest chicken breeds. The Brahma breed was first developed in the United States from the crossbreeding of birds imported from China and Southeast Asia and was the principal breed raised for meat in America from the 1850s until the 1930s. Brahma chickens grow very large, with roosters recorded weighing 8 kg (18 lb) and hens 6 kg (13 lb).
Brahmas come in three color varieties: light, dark and golden buff. The hen in the painting is of the light variant, while the rooster is of the dark-golden buff variety. The chicks of the breed also reflect the color difference, with some chicks displaying dark or mixed plumage.
The mallard (bottom left) is the forerunner of the domestic duck and the most widespread duck in the world. It had a long relationship with humans, with almost all domestic duck breeds derived from the mallard after thousands of years of farming. However, mallards are generally monogamous, which means they bond with only one partner. Male mallards have a glossy, bottle-green head with a white collar, while females sport mottled brown feathers and a dark stripe near each eye.
The turkey is farmed throughout temperate parts of the world. All the main domestic turkey varieties today descend from a breed of turkey raised in central Mexico that was subsequently imported into Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century. Mature male turkeys spend a considerable proportion of their time displaying by fanning its tail feathers. The skin of the head and neck becomes bright blue and red and the fleshy growth on top its beak called a "snood" elongates when the bird is in heat. A fairly large poultry bird sizing up to the largest chicken breeds, the domestic turkey is the eighth largest living bird species in terms of maximum mass at 39 kg (86 lbs).
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