{"id":4610,"date":"2025-02-09T12:40:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T12:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/de\/?p=4610"},"modified":"2026-05-03T16:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T15:05:23","slug":"chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/chicken","title":{"rendered":"Chicken"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus<\/em>) is now one of the most widespread livestock animals and is certainly the most numerous vertebrate raised in agriculture. While there are only four wild bird species with populations exceeding one billion individuals worldwide, there are about 20 billion chickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For every human being, there are three chickens alive at any given time and seven slaughtered each year\u2014referred to in agricultural terms as \u00abunits of poultry\u00bb. This ratio already shows that most animals do not live very long. A few decades ago, things were different, but today highly bred meat varieties need only a few weeks to reach slaughter weight. The result of these breeding efforts is an enormous diversity of chickens. A compilation by the EU agricultural authority lists 215 breeds with a total of 1,147 color varieties distinguished in the European poultry trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Egypt, chicken keeping has been widespread at least since the New Kingdom (from 1550 BC) and, through lively exchange, was likely known to neighboring peoples as well. Nevertheless, it is only attested in Israel from the 4th century BC onward. Chickens are not mentioned in the Old Testament, and when the term bezim<\/em> appears (Deut 22:6; Job 39:14; Isa 10:14), it refers to the eggs of wild birds. Although chickens had been used earlier in Israel, it was the Romans who ensured that the domestic chicken became a standard part of agricultural livestock throughout their empire. In the New Testament, it can be assumed that oon<\/em> refers to a chicken egg (Lk 11:12), that the crowing alektor<\/em> is a rooster (Mt 26:34 and eleven other verses), and that the ornis<\/em> is a brooding hen (Mt 23:37; Lk 13:34).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bred forms of the domestic chicken are practically incapable of flight. Unless their wings have been \u00abclipped\u00bb by removing flight feathers on one side, they can at least make fluttering jumps of a few meters, cross fences, and escape into trees. Compared to their wild relatives, they are rather naive and easily fall prey to predators. \u00abIf the chickens lie flat as plates, the tractor was faster once again.\u00bb\u2014this not-so-old farmer\u2019s saying pokes fun at the birds\u2019 poorly developed escape instincts. Despite their defenselessness, the brooding hen, accompanied by her chicks, shows great dedication and risks her life to protect and defend them. The Lord Jesus refers to this comparison: \u00abJerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!\u00bb (Mt 23:37; Lk 13:34). Security, shelter, closeness, acceptance, and warmth\u2014what chicks find under their mother\u2019s wings is what God also wanted to give His chosen people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The hen offers the chicks shelter in her soft breast feathers and covers them with her wings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most Bibles translate zarzir matenajim<\/em> (Prov 30:31) as \u00aba strutting rooster\u00bb. Even though this term does not occur elsewhere and the translation is therefore not entirely certain, it agrees with the Septuagint and fits perfectly in context. The rooster walks among his hens like a little king. All show him due respect. He chooses the highest point he can reach\u2014even if it is just a manure heap\u2014to let his impressive call ring out. There he stands, upright and proud, his bright red comb crowning his noble head, and the dangling wattles swinging with every trumpet blast\u2014a truly majestic sight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The proud rooster with his swollen comb is a magnificent sight. There would be much more to say about him than just his crowing, but even in this he is a useful example for us. As Peter experienced, a good sermon should look like this: someone stands up and begins to crow\u2014the listener\u2019s gaze meets Jesus\u2014heart and conscience are struck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The dominant rooster crows two to three hours before sunrise, so punctually that this signal can be used to tell time. The Preacher laments the burdens of old age, including sleeplessness: \u00abone rises at the first crowing of the rooster\u00bb (Eccl 12:4). Greeks and Romans divided the night into four \u00abwatches\u00bb, and the third is also named after the distinctive crowing: \u00abin the evening [1] or at midnight [2] or at the rooster\u2019s crow [3] or in the early morning [4]\u00bb (Mk 13:35). In Greek, this time marker is called alektorophonia<\/em> and in Latin gallicinium<\/em>, understood as the midpoint between midnight and sunrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Roosters and hens spend half their lives establishing the pecking order. When several roosters are present, the morning crow is a welcome opportunity for the leader to assert his position. He crows first and most often.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, the rooster is very gifted linguistically. While in Germany and Austria he cries \u00abkikeriki\u00bb, in Spain \u00abquiquiriqu\u00ed\u00bb, and in Italy, with a slight accent, \u00abchicchirich\u00ec\u00bb, in France it sounds more sonorous as \u00abcocorico\u00bb and in Portugal as \u00abcocorococo\u00bb. British roosters seem more inclined to yodel\u2014their \u00abcock-a-doodle-doo\u00bb certainly sounds rather strange. The Icelandic rooster might be freezing when he utters his tongue-twisting \u00abgaggalagaggalag\u00f3\u00bb. In Scandinavia there are only slight dialect differences, from \u00abkukkokeikuu\u00bb (Finland) to \u00abkuckeliku\u00bb (Sweden) and \u00abkukkeliky\u00bb (Norway) to \u00abkykeliky\u00bb (Denmark). The Dutch also join in with \u00abk\u00fckelek\u00fc\u00bb. However, a sharp linguistic boundary runs through Belgium. While Flemish roosters crow just like their Dutch counterparts, the Walloons stand out with \u00abcoutcouloudjo\u00fb\u00bb. From the Baltic through Eastern Europe to the Balkans, people seem to agree on a k-k-r-k pattern, varying mainly the vowels. By contrast, one immediately senses a different cultural sphere when a Turkish rooster shouts \u00abu-urru-urru\u00bb, even overpowering the muezzin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The \u00abRooster of Barcelos\u00bb has become the best-known symbol of Portugal. According to legend, it lay as a roasted chicken on a judge\u2019s table when the judge sentenced an innocent man to death by hanging. The condemned man called the rooster as a witness to his innocence\u2014and it actually crowed just as the sentence was about to be carried out, thus saving the man\u2019s life. That a served roast chicken would speak again is only a legend, but the fact that a decapitated rooster can live on for quite some time is real (see \u00abMiracle Mike\u00bb).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One<\/em> rooster\u2019s crow has gained worldwide fame. The Lord Jesus had told Peter that he would recognize by it \u00abwhat time it is\u00bb (Mt 26:34; Mk 14:30; Lk 22:34; Joh 13:38). While He was being questioned by the high priest in Annas\u2019s house, Peter stood outside in the courtyard within sight and denied three times that he even knew Him. It is worthwhile to reconstruct the full picture of this shameful event by comparing the accounts in the four Gospels (Mt 26:69\u201375; Mk 14:66\u201372; Lk 22:55\u201362; Joh 18:17\u201327). One discovers that after the first denial, a rooster already crowed (Mk 14:68). A wake-up call for Peter! But he remained sitting by the fire. After the second denial, about another hour passed (Lk 22:59), during which Peter could have come to his senses. While he was still making his third denial, the rooster crowed and the Lord looked at him. Only then did Peter go out, weeping bitterly and completely shattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Pal\u00e1cio Nacional de Mafra is the largest palace and monastery complex in Portugal. For reasons of symmetry, not just one but both bell towers bear a weathercock. Here it lives up fully to its name: when it points toward the sea, the westerly wind promises dry weather; when it points inland, the easterly wind often brings rain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are over one million church buildings worldwide. Many have a bell tower topped with a weathercock. Since the church steeple is often the highest point in a town, it is well suited for this, for the rooster not only indicates the direction of the wind but also serves as a widely visible reminder. Peter repents of his betrayal. The risen Lord meets him before all the other disciples (Lk 24:34; 1Cor 15:5). He forgives him, publicly restores him, and entrusts him with great responsibility (Joh 21:15\u201317). Until his martyrdom, Peter then remained a faithful witness of Jesus. The rooster on the tower reminds us not to turn \u00abwith the wind\u00bb like a weather vane, but to remain faithful to our convictions to the end. However, we do not have the strength for this within ourselves, and like Peter, we tend to greatly overestimate ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No depiction of the Passion story is complete without the scene at the charcoal fire in the high priest\u2019s courtyard, where Peter denied his Lord three times. And somewhere, the rooster is almost always visible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dieser war auch mit dem Jesus …<\/strong>
(translatet from German original)

They warmed their hands by the fire in the courtyard;
he stood there trembling among them.
They spoke of the price of poultry and cattle,
and of the interrogation, and then they made wagers.
He wished they would leave him alone.
The flame leapt up and lit his face;
he ducked a moment too late.
Then the girl who stood beside him
had already seen and recognized him:
\u00abThis man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.\u00bb

I know it all\u2014I\u2019ve stood there myself,
have seen it all in disbelief:
The guilty dragged with shameless faces
their own Judge before their court,
and I stood there and let it happen.
How often I have crouched in the dark,
hoping no rooster would crow for me.
But then someone glanced my way,
and some finger pointed at me:
\u00abThis man is also with Jesus of Nazareth.\u00bb

I kept silent, denied, and wept,
and yet again I saw:
The One I denied did not give me up;
He lifted me out of shame and sorrow
to stand upright for Him again.
And if I should wish for what one day
will stand upon my grave in memory,
then, despite everything, I can find
no better words for the stone than these:
\u00abThis man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.\u00bb
<\/p>Manfred Siebald, 1998<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Total versiebt \u2013 und doch geliebt<\/strong>
\u00a0– nach dem Versagen Neues wagen –
(translated from German original)

If I sift through the contents of my day,
where I have believed, hoped, loved,
what would remain for You, Lord?
You carry me upon Your heart.
Bear with me!\u2014a yield for You???
What remains of faith, hope, love?
Even through denial and failure,
You want to bear me lovingly.
Lord, keep the fruit, forgive the chaff.
You keep praying\u2014you are faithful!

And when Your gaze touches my heart,
when Your love convicts me,
then my sin becomes bitter to me.
Then I see how You see me,
drawing me to You at Your cross.
My splinter became Your beam.
Even through denial and failure,
You want to bear me lovingly.
Lord, I am sinking! I repent!
Even if I am unfaithful\u2014you remain faithful!

And when my path reaches the shore,
Your long patience kindles fire,
then You offer me the delicacy.
Then it is not about principle for You,
then You only ask: \u00abDo you love Me?\u00bb
and my conscience stirs within me.
Even through denial and failure,
You want to bear me lovingly.
You lift me up, take away my fear.
Lord, You know everything\u2014you make all things new.<\/p>Andreas Fett, 2003<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The Codex Egberti is a 9th-century manuscript containing the oldest New Testament cycle of illustrations. This illumination shows the scene where the Lord Jesus awaits the disciples on the shore of the lake and Peter rushes toward Him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fett, A: Total versiebt \u2013 und doch geliebt<\/em>. fest & treu 2003, issue 2, p. 18; https:\/\/clv.de\/fest-treu-2-2003\/2550302<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hahnenschrei in verschiedenen Sprachen: https:\/\/europeisnotdead.com\/european-cock-a-doodle-doo\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

List of chicken breeds recognized by the EU (accessed May 8, 2021; status June 1, 2016): http:\/\/www.entente-ee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/EE-Verzeichnis-RF-H%C3%BChner-2016-1.xlsx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marino, L: Thinking Chickens: a review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in the Domestic Chicken<\/em>. Animal Cognition 2017; 20:127-147; doi: 10.1007\/s10071-016-1064-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry-Gal, L; Erlich, A; Gilboa, A: Earliest economic exploitation of chicken outside East Asia: Evidence from the Hellenistic Southern Levant<\/em>. PNAS 2015; 112(32):9849-9854; doi: 10.1073\/ pnas.1504236112<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shimmura, T; Ohasshi, S; Yoshimura, T: The highest-ranking rooster has priority to announce the break of dawn<\/em>. Scientific Reports 2015; 5:11683; doi: 10.1038\/srep11683<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siebald, M: Manfred Siebald. Seine Lieder 1968 \u2013 2018<\/em> (p. 267; Dieser war auch mit dem Jesus). Holzgerlingen (SCM H\u00e4nssler) 2018<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Image credits:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wikipedia: Title \u2013 portrait of a rooster \/ Muhammad Mahdi Karim \/\/ two chickens \/ Otwarte Klatki \/\/ church window with Peter and the rooster \/ Andreas F. Borchert \/\/ lakeshore scene after the resurrection \/ German National Library<\/p>\n\n\n\n

other licenses: rooster in nature \/ shutterstock_1678995619.jpg \/ Martin Pelanek \/\/ hen with chicks \/ shutterstock_143016214.jpg \/ R. L. Webber \/\/ rooster of Barcelos \/ shutterstock_1852776694.jpg \/ Andrei Nekrassov \/\/ weathercock on Pal\u00e1cio Nacional de Mafra \/ shutterstock_1743364397.jpg \/ Video Media Studio Europe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is now one of the most widespread livestock animals and is certainly the most numerous vertebrate raised in agriculture.
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