Poultry is domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat, or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (including chickens, quails, and turkeys). The term also includes birds killed for their meat, such as the young of pigeons but does not include similar wild birds hunted for sport or food and known as game. The word "poultry" comes from the French/Norman word poule, derived from the Latin word pullus, which means small animal.

Meat and Poultry

Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Poultry is domesticated birds kept by humans for the eggs they produce, their meat, their feathers, or sometimes as pets.

Humans are omnivorous and have hunted and killed animals for meat since prehistoric times. The advent of civilization allowed the domestication of animals such as chickens, sheep, pigs, and cattle, and eventually their use in meat production on an industrial scale.