85-475: (Redirected from Mammoth Jack ) The term mammoth donkey or mammoth jack is both an informal term for a large male donkey and a term sometimes applied generically to some specific large donkey breeds or landraces. The American mammoth donkey or mammoth jack The baudet de Poitou or Poitevin donkey Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
170-540: A chick , as in William Shakespeare 's play Macbeth , where Macduff laments the death of "all my pretty chickens and their dam". The usage is preserved in placenames such as the Hen and Chicken Islands . In older sources, and still often in trade and scientific contexts, chickens as a species are described as common fowl or domestic fowl . Chickens are relatively large birds , active by day . The body
255-521: A mutation that causes extra feathering under the face, giving the appearance of a beard. Chickens are omnivores . In the wild, they scratch at the soil to search for seeds, insects, and animals as large as lizards , small snakes, and young mice . A chicken may live for 5–10 years, depending on the breed . The world's oldest known chicken lived for 16 years. Chickens are gregarious , living in flocks , and incubate eggs and raise young communally. Individual chickens dominate others, establishing
340-412: A pecking order ; dominant individuals take priority for access to food and nest sites. The concept of dominance, involving pecking, was described in female chickens by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 as the "pecking order". Male chickens tend to leap and use their claws in conflicts. Chickens are capable of mobbing and killing a weak or inexperienced predator, such as a young fox. A male's crowing
425-559: A 700,000-year-old middle Pleistocene horse metapodial bone from Canada implies a more recent 4.07 Myr before present date for the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) within the range of 4.0 to 4.5 Myr BP. The oldest divergencies are the Asian hemiones (subgenus E. ( Asinus ) , including the kulan , onager , and kiang ), followed by the African zebras (subgenera E. ( Dolichohippus ) , and E. ( Hippotigris ) ). All other modern forms including
510-457: A calming effect on nervous horses. If a donkey is introduced to a mare and foal , the foal may turn to the donkey for support after it has been weaned from its mother. A few donkeys are milked or raised for meat . Approximately 3.5 million donkeys and mules are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide. In Italy, which has the highest consumption of equine meat in Europe and where donkey meat
595-463: A decline in GnRH-I-N. Hens often try to lay in nests that already contain eggs and sometimes move eggs from neighbouring nests into their own. A flock thus uses only a few preferred locations, rather than having a different nest for every bird. Under natural conditions, most birds lay only until a clutch is complete; they then incubate all the eggs. This is called "going broody ". The hen sits on
680-410: A distinctive cross pattern on their backs. A jenny is normally pregnant for about 12 months, though the gestation period varies from 11 to 14 months, and usually gives birth to a single foal. Births of twins are rare, though less so than in horses. About 1.7 percent of donkey pregnancies result in twins; both foals survive in about 14 percent of those. In general jennies have a conception rate that
765-431: A female domesticated donkey (jenny), they represent the earliest known example of human-directed animal hybridization. They were produced at a breeding center at Nagar (modern Tell Brak ) and were sold or given as gifts throughout the region, where they became significant status symbols, pulling battle wagons and the chariots of kings, and also being sacrificed to bury with high-status people. They fell out of favor following
850-462: A foal at side. The time lapse involved in rebreeding, and the length of a jenny's gestation, means that a jenny will have fewer than one foal per year. Because of this and the longer gestation period, donkey breeders do not expect to obtain a foal every year, as horse breeders often do, but may plan for three foals in four years. Donkeys can interbreed with other members of the family Equidae, and are commonly interbred with horses. The hybrid between
935-457: A further six donkey breeds had official recognition. In developed countries, the welfare of donkeys both at home and abroad has become a concern, and a number of sanctuaries for retired and rescued donkeys have been set up. The largest is The Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth , England, which also supports donkey welfare projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya , and Mexico. In 2017, a drop in
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#17327798052931020-426: A gene for yellow skin, for instance, was incorporated into domestic birds from the grey junglefowl ( G. sonneratii ). It is estimated that chickens share between 71 and 79% of their genome with red junglefowl. According to one early study, a single domestication event of the red junglefowl in present-day Thailand gave rise to the modern chicken with minor transitions separating the modern breeds. The red junglefowl
1105-507: A greater affinity for oxygen, binding oxygen more readily. Fertile chicken eggs hatch at the end of the incubation period, about 21 days; the chick uses its egg tooth to break out of the shell. Hens remain on the nest for about two days after the first chick hatches; during this time the newly hatched chicks feed by absorbing the internal yolk sac . The hen guards her chicks and broods them to keep them warm. She leads them to food and water and calls them towards food. The chicks imprint on
1190-467: A hen (a circle dance), often lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. The dance triggers a response in the hen and when she responds to his call, the rooster may mount the hen and proceed with the mating. Mating typically involves a sequence in which the male approaches the female and performs a waltzing display. If the female is unreceptive, she runs off; otherwise, she crouches, and the male mounts, treading with both feet on her back. After copulation
1275-603: A jack and a mare is a mule , valued as a working and riding animal in many countries. Some large donkey breeds such as the Asino di Martina Franca , the Baudet du Poitou and the Mammoth Jack are raised only for mule production. The hybrid between a stallion and a jenny is a hinny , and is less common. Like other inter-species hybrids, mules and hinnies are usually sterile. Donkeys can also breed with zebras , in which case
1360-454: A lifespan of 30 to 50 years. Donkeys are adapted to marginal desert lands. Unlike wild and feral horses , wild donkeys in dry areas are solitary and do not form harems . Each adult donkey establishes a home range; breeding over a large area may be dominated by one jack. The loud call or bray of the donkey, which typically lasts for twenty seconds and can be heard for over three kilometres, may help keep in contact with other donkeys over
1445-495: A manner usually used with high ranking humans. These burials show the importance of donkeys to the early Egyptian state and its ruler. By the end of the fourth millennium BC, the donkey had spread to Southwest Asia, and the main breeding centre had shifted to Mesopotamia by 1800 BC. The breeding of large, white riding asses made Damascus famous, while Syrian breeders developed at least three other breeds, including one preferred by women for its easy gait . The Muscat or Yemen ass
1530-752: A mosaic of divergent ancestries inherited from subspecies of red junglefowl. A word for the domestic chicken ( *manuk ) is part of the reconstructed Proto-Austronesian language , indicating they were domesticated by the Austronesian peoples since ancient times. Chickens, together with dogs and pigs, were carried throughout the entire range of the prehistoric Austronesian maritime migrations to Island Southeast Asia , Micronesia , Island Melanesia , Polynesia , and Madagascar , starting from at least 3000 BC from Taiwan . These chickens might have been introduced during pre-Columbian times to South America via Polynesian seafarers, but evidence for this
1615-399: A person has earned their confidence they can be willing and companionable partners and very dependable in work. Although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. Of the more than 40 million donkeys in
1700-651: A sacred rooster, often during a ritual cockfight , used as a form of communication with the gods. In Gabriel García Márquez 's Nobel-Prize-winning 1967 novel One Hundred Years Of Solitude , cockfighting is outlawed in the town of Macondo after the patriarch of the Buendia family murders his cockfighting rival and is haunted by the man's ghost. Chicken jokes have been made at least since The Knickerbocker published one in 1847. Chickens have been featured in art in farmyard scenes such as Adriaen van Utrecht 's 1646 Turkeys and Chickens and Walter Osborne 's 1885 Feeding
1785-461: A serious impact on the environment. They may compete with livestock and native animals for resources, spread weeds and diseases, foul or damage watering holes and cause erosion. The earliest documented donkey hybrid was the kunga , which was used as a draft animal in the Syrian and Mesopotamian kingdoms of the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE. A cross between a captive male Syrian wild ass and
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#17327798052931870-407: A similar dried forage, with no more than a 1:4 ratio of legumes to grass. They also require salt and mineral supplements, and access to clean, fresh water. In temperate climates the forage available is often too abundant and too rich; over-feeding may cause weight gain and obesity, and lead to metabolic disorders such as founder ( laminitis ) and hyperlipaemia , or to gastric ulcers . Throughout
1955-485: A single domestication event of red junglefowl whose present-day distribution is predominantly in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Myanmar. These domesticated chickens spread across Southeast and South Asia where they interbred with local wild species of junglefowl, forming genetically and geographically distinct groups. Analysis of the most popular commercial breed shows that the White Leghorn breed possesses
2040-470: A tough digestive system in which roughage is efficiently broken down by hind gut fermentation , microbial action in the caecum and large intestine . While there is no marked structural difference between the gastro-intestinal tract of a donkey and that of a horse, the digestion of the donkey is more efficient. It needs less food than a horse or pony of comparable height and weight, approximately 1.5 percent of body weight per day in dry matter, compared to
2125-564: A vector for bacterial diseases such as salmonellosis and spirochaetosis . Viral diseases include avian influenza . Chickens are common and widespread domestic animals, with a total population of 23.7 billion as of 2018 . More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of meat and eggs. In the United States alone, more than 8 billion chickens are slaughtered each year for meat, and more than 300 million chickens are reared for egg production. The vast majority of poultry
2210-509: Is Arizona in 1679. By the Gold Rush years of the 19th century, the burro was the beast of burden of choice of early prospectors in the western United States. By the end of the placer mining boom, many of them escaped or were abandoned, and a feral population established itself. About 41 million donkeys were reported worldwide in 2006. China had the most with 11 million, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia and Mexico. As of 2017, however,
2295-443: Is a jack or jackass , an adult female is a jenny or jennet , and an immature donkey of either sex is a foal . Jacks are often mated with female horses (mares) to produce mules ; the less common hybrid of a male horse (stallion) and jenny is a hinny . Traditionally, the scientific name for the donkey is Equus asinus asinus , on the basis of the principle of priority used for scientific names of animals. However,
2380-617: Is a contest held in a ring called a cockpit between two cocks. Cockfighting is outlawed in many countries as involving cruelty to animals . The activity seems to have been practised in the Indus Valley civilisation from 2500 to 2100 BC. In the process of domestication, chickens were apparently kept initially for cockfighting, and only later used for food. Chickens have long been used as model organisms to study developing embryos. Large numbers of embryos can be provided commercially; fertilized eggs can easily be opened and used to observe
2465-834: Is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass , Equus africanus , and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, Equus africanus asinus , or as a separate species , Equus asinus . It was domesticated in Africa some 5000–7000 years ago, and has been used mainly as a working animal since that time. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals . While working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence, small numbers of donkeys or asses are kept for breeding, as pets, and for livestock protection in developed countries. An adult male donkey
2550-604: Is a large and round short-winged bird , domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs ; others are kept as pets or for cockfighting . Chickens are common and widespread domestic animals, with a total population of 26.5 billion as of 2023 , and an annual production of more than 50 billion birds. A hen bred for laying can produce over 300 eggs per year. There are numerous cultural references to chickens in folklore, religion, and literature. Terms for chickens include: Chicken can mean
2635-409: Is a loud and sometimes shrill call, serving as a territorial signal to other males, and in response to sudden disturbances within their surroundings. Hens cluck loudly after laying an egg and to call their chicks. Chickens give different warning calls to indicate that a predator is approaching from the air or on the ground. To initiate courting, some roosters may dance in a circle around or near
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2720-514: Is approximately 3.5 million years old, and was located in the US state of Idaho. The genus appears to have spread quickly into the Old World, with the similarly aged Equus livenzovensis documented from western Europe and Russia. Molecular phylogenies indicate the most recent common ancestor of all modern equids (members of the genus Equus ) lived ~5.6 (3.9–7.8) mya. Direct paleogenomic sequencing of
2805-465: Is commonly believed that mules are more easily handled and also physically stronger than hinnies, making them more desirable for breeders to produce. The offspring of a zebra –donkey cross is called a zonkey, zebroid , zebrass, or zedonk; zebra mule is an older term, but still used in some regions today. The foregoing terms generally refer to hybrids produced by breeding a male zebra to a female donkey. Zebra hinny, zebret and zebrinny all refer to
2890-402: Is considered a species. At one time, the synonym ass was the more common term for the donkey. The first recorded use of donkey was in either 1784 or 1785. While the word ass has cognates in most other Indo-European languages , donkey is an etymologically obscure word for which no credible cognate has been identified. Hypotheses on its derivation include the following: From
2975-592: Is inhumane towards sentient animals . Advocates of intensive farming say that their efficient systems save land and food resources owing to increased productivity, and that the animals are looked after in a controlled environment. Chickens farmed for meat are called broilers . Broiler breeds typically take less than six weeks to reach slaughter size, some weeks longer for free range and organic broilers. Chickens farmed primarily for eggs are called layer hens. The UK alone consumes more than 34 million eggs per day. Hens of some breeds can produce over 300 eggs per year;
3060-461: Is lower than that of horses (i.e., less than the 60–65% rate for mares). Although jennies come into heat within 9 or 10 days of giving birth, their fertility remains low, and it is likely the reproductive tract has not returned to normal. Thus it is usual to wait one or two further oestrous cycles before rebreeding, unlike the practice with mares. Jennies are usually very protective of their foals , and some will not come into estrus while they have
3145-600: Is produced by soaking and stewing the hide to make a traditional Chinese medicine product. Ejiao , the gelatine produced by boiling donkey skins, can sell for up to $ 388 per kilogram, at October 2017 prices. During World War I John Simpson Kirkpatrick , a British stretcher bearer serving with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps , and Richard Alexander "Dick" Henderson of the New Zealand Medical Corps used donkeys to rescue wounded soldiers from
3230-477: Is raised in factory farms . According to the Worldwatch Institute , 74% of the world's poultry meat and 68% of eggs are produced this way. An alternative to intensive poultry farming is free-range farming. Friction between these two main methods has led to long-term issues of ethical consumerism . Opponents of intensive farming argue that it harms the environment, creates human health risks and
3315-517: Is reported to be rapidly shrinking, falling from 43.7 million to 43.5 million between 1995 and 2000, and to only 41 million in 2006. The fall in population is pronounced in developed countries; in Europe, the total number of donkeys fell from 3 million in 1944 to just over 1 million in 1994. The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System ( DAD-IS ) of the FAO listed 189 breeds of ass in June 2011. In 2000
3400-489: Is round, the legs are unfeathered in most breeds, and the wings are short. Wild junglefowl can fly ; chickens and their flight muscles are too heavy to allow them to fly more than a short distance. Size and coloration vary widely between breeds. Adult chickens of both sexes have a fleshy crest on their heads called a comb or cockscomb, and hanging flaps of skin on either side under their beaks called wattles ; combs and wattles are more prominent in males . Some breeds have
3485-687: Is still putative. The possibility that domestic chickens were in the Americas before Western contact is debated by researchers, but blue-egged chickens, found only in the Americas and Asia, suggest an Asian origin for early American chickens. A lack of data from Thailand, Russia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa makes it difficult to lay out a clear map of the spread of chickens in these areas; better description and genetic analysis of local breeds threatened by extinction may also help with research into this area. Chicken bones from
Mammoth donkey - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-524: Is supplemented by mentions in historical texts from the last few centuries BC, and by depictions in prehistoric artworks, such as across Central Asia. Chickens were widespread throughout southern Central Asia by the 4th century BC. Middle Eastern chicken remains go back to a little earlier than 2000 BC in Syria . Phoenicians spread chickens along the Mediterranean coasts as far as Iberia. During
3655-505: Is the main ingredient of several regional dishes, about 1,000 donkeys were slaughtered in 2010, yielding approximately 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons) of meat. Asses' milk may command good prices: the average price in Italy in 2009 was €15 per litre, and a price of €6 per 100 ml was reported from Croatia in 2008; it is used for soaps and cosmetics as well as dietary purposes. The niche markets for both milk and meat are expanding. In
3740-426: Is well adapted to take advantage of the vast quantities of seed produced during the end of the multi-decade bamboo seeding cycle , to boost its own reproduction. In domesticating the chicken, humans took advantage of the red junglefowl's ability to reproduce prolifically when exposed to a surge in its food supply. Exactly when and where the chicken was domesticated remains controversial. Genomic studies estimate that
3825-553: The Arauco Peninsula in south-central Chile were radiocarbon dated as pre-Columbian, and DNA analysis suggested they were related to prehistoric populations in Polynesia. However, further study of the same bones cast doubt on the findings. Chicken remains have been difficult to date, given the small and fragile bird bones; this may account for discrepancies in dates given by different sources. Archaeological evidence
3910-637: The Galliformes , the order of bird that chickens belong to, survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that killed all tree-dwelling birds and their dinosaur relatives. Chickens are descended primarily from the red junglefowl ( Gallus gallus ) and are scientifically classified as the same species. Domesticated chickens freely interbreed with populations of red junglefowl. The domestic chicken has subsequently hybridised with grey junglefowl , Sri Lankan junglefowl and green junglefowl ;
3995-578: The Hellenistic period (4th–2nd centuries BC), in the southern Levant , chickens began to be widely domesticated for food. The first pictures of chickens in Europe are found on Corinthian pottery of the 7th century BC. Breeding increased under the Roman Empire and reduced in the Middle Ages . Genetic sequencing of chicken bones from archaeological sites in Europe revealed that in
4080-736: The High Middle Ages chickens became less aggressive and began to lay eggs earlier in the breeding season. Chickens reached Egypt via the Middle East for purposes of cockfighting about 1400 BC and became widely bred in Egypt around 300 BC. Three possible routes of introduction into Africa around the early first millennium AD could have been through the Egyptian Nile Valley, the East Africa Roman-Greek or Indian trade, or from Carthage and
4165-510: The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled in 2003 that if the domestic and the wild species are considered subspecies of a common species, the scientific name of the wild species has priority, even when that subspecies was described after the domestic subspecies. This means that the proper scientific name for the donkey is Equus africanus asinus when it is considered a subspecies and Equus asinus when it
4250-490: The 18th century, donkey gradually replaced ass and jenny replaced she-ass , which is now considered archaic. The change may have come about through a tendency to avoid pejorative terms in speech and may be comparable to the substitution in North American English of rooster for cock , or that of rabbit for coney , which was formerly homophonic with cunny (a variation of the word cunt ). By
4335-447: The 2–2.5 percent consumption rate possible for a horse. Donkeys are also less prone to colic . The reasons for this difference are not fully understood; the donkey may have different intestinal flora to the horse, or a longer gut retention time. Donkeys obtain most of their energy from structural carbohydrates . Some suggest that a donkey needs to be fed only straw (preferably barley straw), supplemented with controlled grazing in
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#17327798052934420-709: The Americas on ships of the Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus , and were landed at Hispaniola in 1495. The first to reach North America may have been two animals taken to Mexico by Juan de Zumárraga , the first bishop of Mexico, who arrived there on 6 December 1528, while the first donkeys to reach what is now the United States may have crossed the Rio Grande with Juan de Oñate in April 1598. From that time on they spread northward, finding use in missions and mines. Donkeys were documented as present in what today
4505-533: The Berbers, across the Sahara . The earliest known remains are from Mali , Nubia , East Coast, and South Africa and date back to the middle of the first millennium AD. Chickens are susceptible both to parasites such as mites , and to diseases caused by pathogens such as bacteria and viruses . The parasite Dermanyssus gallinae feeds on blood, causing irritation and reducing egg production, and acts as
4590-577: The Chinese population was reported to have dropped to 3 million, with African populations under pressure as well, due to increasing trade and demand for donkey products in China. Some researchers believe the actual number may be somewhat higher since many donkeys go uncounted. The number of breeds and percentage of world population for each of the FAO's world regions was in 2006: In 1997 the number of donkeys in
4675-482: The UK and Europe, laying hens are then slaughtered and used in processed foods, or sold as 'soup hens'. In some other countries, flocks are sometimes force moulted rather than being slaughtered to re-invigorate egg-laying. This involves complete withdrawal of food (and sometimes water) for 7–14 days or sufficiently long to cause a body weight loss of 25 to 35%, or up to 28 days under experimental conditions. This stimulates
4760-487: The United States, it is commonly applied to the feral donkeys that live west of the Rocky Mountains ; it may also refer to any small donkey. The genus Equus , which includes all extant equines, is believed to have evolved from Dinohippus , via the intermediate form Plesippus . One of the oldest species is Equus simplicidens , described as zebra-like with a donkey-shaped head. The oldest fossil to date
4845-985: The battlefield at Gallipoli . According to British food writer Matthew Fort , donkeys were used in the Italian Army . The Mountain Fusiliers each had a donkey to carry their gear, and in extreme circumstances the animal could be eaten . Donkeys have also been used to carry explosives in conflicts that include the war in Afghanistan and others. Donkey hooves are more elastic than those of horses, and do not naturally wear down as fast. Regular clipping may be required; neglect can lead to permanent damage. Working donkeys may need to be shod. Donkey shoes are similar to horseshoes , but usually smaller and without toe-clips. In their native arid and semi-arid climates, donkeys spend more than half of each day foraging and feeding, often on poor quality scrub. The donkey has
4930-425: The chicken genome is similarly sized compared to other birds, but smaller than nearly all mammals: the human genome is 3.2 Gb . The final gene set contained 26,640 genes (including noncoding genes and pseudogenes ), with a total of 19,119 protein-coding genes, a similar number to the human genome. In 2006, scientists researching the ancestry of birds switched on a chicken recessive gene , talpid2 , and found that
5015-463: The chicken was domesticated 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and spread to China and India 2,000 to 3,000 years later. Archaeological evidence supports domestic chickens in Southeast Asia well before 6000 BC, China by 6000 BC and India by 2000 BC. A landmark 2020 Nature study that fully sequenced 863 chickens across the world suggests that all domestic chickens originate from
5100-425: The cross of a female zebra with a male donkey. Zebrinnies are rarer than zedonkies because female zebras in captivity are most valuable when used to produce full-blooded zebras. There are not enough female zebras breeding in captivity to spare them for hybridizing; there is no such limitation on the number of female donkeys breeding. Rooster Gallus domesticus L. The chicken ( Gallus domesticus )
5185-446: The developing embryo. Equally important, embryologists can carry out experiments on such embryos, close the egg again and study the effects later in development. For instance, many important discoveries in limb development have been made using chicken embryos, such as the discovery of the apical ectodermal ridge and the zone of polarizing activity . The chicken was the first bird species to have its genome sequenced. At 1.21 Gb ,
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#17327798052935270-473: The development of long-distance trade across Egypt. In the Dynasty IV era of Egypt, between 2675 and 2565 BC, wealthy members of society were known to own over 1,000 donkeys, employed in agriculture, as dairy and meat animals and as pack animals. In 2003, the tomb of either King Narmer or King Hor-Aha (two of the first Egyptian pharaohs) was excavated and the skeletons of ten donkeys were found buried in
5355-559: The domesticated horse (and many fossil Pliocene and Pleistocene forms) belong to the subgenus E. ( Equus ) which diverged ~4.8 (3.2–6.5) million years ago. The ancestors of the modern donkey are the Nubian and Somalian subspecies of African wild ass . Remains of domestic donkeys dating to the fourth millennium BC have been found in Ma'adi in Lower Egypt, and it is believed that
5440-516: The domestication of the donkey was accomplished long after the domestication of cattle, sheep and goats in the seventh and eighth millennia BC. Donkeys were probably first domesticated by pastoral people in Nubia , and they supplanted the ox as the chief pack animal of that culture. The domestication of donkeys served to increase the mobility of pastoral cultures, having the advantage over ruminants of not needing time to chew their cud , and were vital in
5525-406: The embryo jaws initiated formation of teeth, like those found in ancient bird fossils. Chickens are featured widely in folklore , religion , literature , and popular culture. The chicken is a sacred animal in many cultures and deeply embedded in belief systems and religious practices. Roosters are sometimes used for divination , a practice called alectryomancy. This involves the sacrifice of
5610-564: The end of the 17th century, changes in pronunciation of both ass and arse had caused them to become homophones in some varieties of English. Other words used for the ass in English from this time include cuddy in Scotland, neddy in southwestern England and dicky in southeastern England; moke is documented in the 19th century and may be of Welsh or Romani origin. Burro is a word for donkey in both Spanish and Portuguese . In
5695-469: The global donkey population could be reduced by half over the next half decade as the demand for ejiao increases in China. Donkeys vary considerably in size, depending on both breed and environmental conditions, and heights at the withers range from less than 90 centimetres (35 in) to approximately 150 cm (59 in). Working donkeys in the poorest countries have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years; in more prosperous countries, they may have
5780-490: The hen and subsequently follow her continually. She continues to care for them until they are several weeks old. Inbreeding of White Leghorn chickens tends to cause inbreeding depression expressed as reduced egg number and delayed sexual maturity. Strongly inbred Langshan chickens display obvious inbreeding depression in reproduction, particularly for traits such as age when the first egg is laid and egg number. Water or ground-dwelling fowl similar to modern partridges , in
5865-904: The hen to lose her feathers but also re-invigorates egg-production. Some flocks may be force-moulted several times. In 2003, more than 75% of all flocks were moulted in the US. Keeping chickens as pets became increasingly popular in the 2000s among urban and suburban residents. Many people obtain chickens for their egg production but often name them and treat them as any other pet like cats or dogs. Chickens provide companionship and have individual personalities. While many do not cuddle much, they will eat from one's hand, jump onto one's lap, respond to and follow their handlers, as well as show affection. Chickens are social, inquisitive, intelligent birds, and many people find their behaviour entertaining. Certain breeds, such as silkies and many bantam varieties, are generally docile and are often recommended as good pets around children with disabilities. A cockfight
5950-418: The highest authenticated rate of egg laying is 371 eggs in 364 days. After 12 months of laying, the commercial hen's egg-laying ability declines to the point where the flock is commercially unviable. Hens, particularly from battery cage systems, are sometimes infirm or have lost a significant amount of their feathers, and their life expectancy has been reduced from around seven years to less than two years. In
6035-417: The introduction of the domestic horse and its donkey hybrid, the mule , into the region at the end of the 3rd millennium BCE. A male donkey (jack) crossed with a female horse produces a mule , while a male horse crossed with a jenny produces a hinny . Horse–donkey hybrids are almost always sterile because of a failure of their developing gametes to complete meiosis. The lower progesterone production of
6120-399: The jenny may also lead to early embryonic loss . In addition, there are reasons not directly related to reproductive biology. Due to different mating behavior, jacks are often more willing to cover mares than stallions are to breed jennies. Further, mares are usually larger than jennies and thus have more room for the ensuing foal to grow in the womb, resulting in a larger animal at birth. It
6205-627: The male does a tail-bending display. Sperm transfer occurs by cloacal contact between the male and female, in an action called the 'cloacal kiss'. As with all birds, reproduction is controlled by a neuroendocrine system, the Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-I neurons in the hypothalamus . Reproductive hormones including estrogen , progesterone , and gonadotropins ( luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone ) initiate and maintain sexual maturation changes. Reproduction declines with age, thought to be due to
6290-462: The nest, fluffing up or pecking defensively if disturbed. She rarely leaves the nest until the eggs have hatched. Eggs of chickens from the high-altitude region of Tibet have special physiological adaptations that result in a higher hatching rate in low oxygen environments. When eggs are placed in a hypoxic environment, chicken embryos from these populations express much more hemoglobin than embryos from other chicken populations. This hemoglobin has
6375-474: The number of breeds of donkey recorded worldwide was 97, and in 1995 it was 77. The rapid increase is attributed to attention paid to identification and recognition of donkey breeds by the FAO's Animal Genetic Resources project. The rate of recognition of new breeds has been particularly high in some developed countries. In France only one breed, the Baudet du Poitou, was recognised until the early 1990s; by 2005,
6460-532: The number of Chinese donkeys, combined with the fact that they are slow to reproduce, meant that Chinese suppliers began to look to Africa. As a result of the increase in demand, and the price that could be charged, Kenya opened three donkey abattoirs. Concerns for donkeys' well-being, however, have resulted in a number of African countries (including Uganda , Tanzania , Botswana , Niger , Burkina Faso , Mali , and Senegal ) banning China from buying their donkey products. In 2019, The Donkey Sanctuary warned that
6545-433: The offspring is called a zonkey (among other names). Donkeys have a notorious reputation for stubbornness, but this has been attributed to a much stronger sense of self-preservation than exhibited by horses. Likely based on a stronger prey instinct and a weaker connection with humans, it is considerably more difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it perceives to be dangerous for whatever reason. Once
6630-418: The past, donkey skin was used in the production of parchment . In 2017, the UK based charity The Donkey Sanctuary estimated that 1.8 million skins were traded every year, but the demand could be as high as 10 million. In China, donkey meat is considered a delicacy with some restaurants specializing in such dishes, and Guo Li Zhuang restaurants offer the genitals of donkeys in dishes. Donkey-hide gelatin
6715-507: The summer or hay in the winter, to get all the energy, protein, fat and vitamins it requires; others recommend some grain to be fed, particularly to working animals, and others advise against feeding straw. They do best when allowed to consume small amounts of food over long periods. They can meet their nutritional needs on 6 to 7 hours of grazing per day on average dryland pasture that is not stressed by drought. If they are worked long hours or do not have access to pasture, they require hay or
6800-473: The title Mammoth donkey . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mammoth_donkey&oldid=718015716 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Donkey The donkey or ass
6885-399: The wide spaces of the desert. Donkeys have large ears, which may pick up more distant sounds, and may help cool the donkey's blood. Donkeys can defend themselves by biting, striking with the front hooves or kicking with the hind legs. Their vocalization, called a bray, is often represented in English as "hee haw". Most donkeys have dorsal and shoulder stripes, primitive markings which form
6970-423: The world was reported to be continuing to grow, as it had steadily done throughout most of history; factors cited as contributing to this were increasing human population, progress in economic development and social stability in some poorer nations, conversion of forests to farm and range land, rising prices of motor vehicles and fuel, and the popularity of donkeys as pets. Since then, the world population of donkeys
7055-699: The world, about 96% are in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as pack animals or for draught work in transport or agriculture. After human labour, the donkey is the cheapest form of agricultural power. They may also be ridden, or used for threshing, raising water, milling and other work. Some cultures that prohibit women from working with oxen in agriculture do not extend this taboo to donkeys. In developed countries where their use as beasts of burden has disappeared, donkeys are used to sire mules, to guard sheep , for donkey rides for children or tourists, and as pets. Donkeys may be pastured or stabled with horses and ponies, and are thought to have
7140-800: The world, working donkeys are associated with the very poor, with those living at or below subsistence level. Few receive adequate food, and in general donkeys throughout the Third World are under-nourished and over-worked. In some areas domestic donkeys have returned to the wild and established feral populations such as those of the burro of North America and the Asinara donkey of Sardinia , Italy, both of which have protected status. Feral donkeys can also cause problems, notably in environments that have evolved free of any form of equid , such as Hawaii. In Australia, where there may be 5 million feral donkeys , they are regarded as an invasive pest and have
7225-457: Was developed in Arabia . By the second millennium BC, the donkey was brought to Europe, possibly at the same time as viticulture was introduced, as the donkey is associated with the Syrian god of wine, Dionysus . Greeks spread both of these to many of their colonies, including those in what are now Italy, France and Spain; Romans dispersed them throughout their empire. The first donkeys came to
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