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 [[egg]]s.
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 some 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)