Estimating the age of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758) cockerels through spur development

Doherty, Sean Paul, Foster, Alison, Best, Julia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8943-5427, Hamilton-Dyer, Sheila, Morris, James, Sadler, Peta, Skelton, Caroline, Smallman, Rebecca, Woldekiros, Helina, Thomas, Richard and Sykes, Naomi 2021. Estimating the age of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758) cockerels through spur development. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 31 (5) , pp. 770-781. 10.1002/oa.2988

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Determining the age of bird remains after the cessation of growth is challenging due to the absence of techniques such as tooth eruption and wear available for mammals. Without these techniques, it is difficult to reconstruct hunting strategies, husbandry regimes, and wider human–animal relationships. This paper presents a new method, developed from a collection (n = 71) of known-age specimens of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus L. 1758), for assessing age based on the fusion and size of the tarsometatarsal spur. Using this method, we reconstruct the demographics of domestic fowl from Iron Age to Early Modern sites in Britain to reveal the changing dynamics of human–domestic fowl relationships. We highlight the advanced age that cockerels often attained in their early history and how their life expectancies have subsequently declined.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1047-482X
Date of Acceptance:	10 April 2021
Last Modified:	21 Feb 2025 11:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/176292

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item