6.2 NON-RUMINANT LIVESTOCK 143 Worldwide exports reached about 13.8 million tons by the early 21st century. Do you know how farmers can enhance egg production? POULTRY Non-ruminant livestock can be herbivorous or omnivorous. Horses, donkeys and rabbits are herbivorous; poultry and pigs are omnivorous. Poultry refers to: domestic birds like chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, and ostriches, raised for eggs, meat, feathers or skin; ornamental birds, such as swans and peacocks or birds raised for exhibition or cockfighting. broiler: pollo da allevamento cockfighting: combattimento di galli crammed: ammassato egg-laying hen: gallina ovaiola feather: piuma floor-raised: allevato a terra guinea fowl: faraona jungle fowl: volatile selvatico loose: in libert ostrich: struzzo outlawed: illegale to outstrip: superare peacock: pavone perishable: deperibile poultry fancier: allevatore di pollame 294 LIVESTOCK Chicken farming history Chickens developed from the red jungle fowl, a wild bird that lives in Southeast Asia. In prehistoric times, people captured and raised jungle fowl for food, and gradually domesticated it into the modern chicken. In ancient and medieval times in the Old World, chickens were raised primarily for cockfighting. After being outlawed in the United States, Canada and Great Britain in the 19th century, poultry fanciers raised chickens for exhibition purposes. Mass production of chicken meat and eggs began in the early 20th century, but by the middle of that century meat production had outstripped egg production. Discoveries and inventions relating to the scientific housing, feeding and breeding of poultry led to the rapid expansion of the poultry industry. This has improved methods of storing and distributing poultry meat and eggs and specialised in raising broilers in order to satisfy the ever-growing demands of the market. Poultry is a convenient livestock also for small farms and families because of the relatively small size of the individual birds. Eggs in their natural state are less perishable than meat and dairy products, and may be processed in many ways for safe storage and transportation. Nutritional value Poultry meat and eggs are highly nutritious. Rich in proteins, the meat is a good source of phosphorus, other minerals, and B-complex vitamins. It contains less fat than most cuts of beef and pork. Poultry liver is also especially rich in vitamin A. Farming methods The method of raising poultry has greatly changed over the years. In the past, poultry, above all chickens, used to be let loose in the farmyard, a condition called free-range farming. Even today, poultry, raised both for meat and eggs, are allowed to move outdoors freely during the day; when the weather is bad and at night, they are housed in sheds. However, most chickens are raised under intensive farming conditions in chicken factory farms, equipped with ventilation systems and heaters. These operate on two systems: a large open structure system where broilers are floor-raised for meat; a battery cage system with egg-laying hens crammed inside to lay eggs.