What chicken breeds did Native Americans have?

[Hope119]

I mean... which breed were theirs close to? These, I understand: http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2011/03/08/wyandottes/ which else?
What color eggs did they eat?
Thanks!

 

[Stacykins]

No breed. Chickens were domesticated from Asian jungle fowl. Maybe after European importation they had some, but not before. The turkey is the only domesticated animal that was developed in North America.

 

[centrarchid]

Incas of Peru at least had domesitic chickens prior to Columbus. Source was likely trading with Polynesians or some other Oceanic peoples that had green/blue egg producing chickens. The breed(s) where kin to existing Araucana. See following link for starting point:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucana

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
Yep, South Americans definitely had domesticated fowl, but they hadn't made their way to North America until European settlement. I assumed OP was referring to North America, so I didn't mention it. There is some cool history on the arrival of chickens to South America, and a lot of conflicting theories as to when and who, it seems.

 

[Hope119]

Thank you for the replies!
Were there chicken eggs when Native Americans and Pilgrims celebrated First Thanksgiving? Any eggs? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States) - I see "wild fowl (ducks, geese, swans, and turkey)" there.

 

[Fred's Hens]

It is unknown, I believe, as to whether the first group of settlers brought chickens, but subsequent deliveries to the colony absolutely brought chickens. There is evidence abounding as to chickens at the Mass Bay Colony in the early 1620's.

The much earlier Jamestown, VA colony brought chickens in 1607.

 

[LiLRedCV]

Since many North American tribes were nomadic, I don't think they actually kept chickens (even if they were here before the European settlers). They tended to live off the land - probably gathered eggs from quail, grouse, pheasants and the like.

 

[conny63malies]

Prairie chicken maybe???? i guess the Sac&fox and Potawatomi could have attempt to work with them.

 

[chickened]

Some native american tribes were to supposedly have semi-domesticated wild strain turkeys.

A good link about SA native chickens http://www.reference.com/browse/araucana

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Many native American populations were decidely agrarian with large complex societies. Complexity was great enough with at least one population that possibly nation or empire is better term than tribe. Many were on east coast and southeastern parts of present U.S. The Cahokia built large earthen pyramids up and down parts of the Mississippi drainage basin. In terms or scale, and possibly in respect to trade, the Cahokia were similar to the their contempory Aztecs of Mexico. The western movies depicting nomadic prairie tribes is only part of picture.

The more agrarian native-human populations could easily have made at least early efforts into domesticating turkeys despite all present stocks coming only from wild Yucatan turkey populations.