Poultry are birds raised by people for food or other uses, such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys. The most common is the domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), probably descended from the red jungle fowl of India.
People seem to have known domestic fowl in Old Testament times (Proverbs 30:31). A seal from about 600 BC shows a fighting cock. It belonged to a man named Jaazaniah, who is mentioned in (see 2 Kings 25:23). Nehemiah 5:18 may refer to poultry on his table, but this could also mean wild birds rather than domestic fowl.
Poultry were a symbol of fertility. Jewish custom included carrying a rooster and hen in front of a bride and groom at weddings. Jesus spoke of the care of a hen for her chicks (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34).
Roosters usually crow one or two hours before dawn. The third watch of the night, from midnight to 3:00 in the morning, was called “cockcrow.” According to the Talmud (Jewish writings that explain and comment on the law of Moses), chickens were not allowed in Jerusalem in New Testament times. This was to prevent insects and larvae from chicken droppings from making sacrificial meat unclean. For this reason, the rooster that Peter heard (Matthew 26:34, 74; Luke 22:34, 60–61) probably belonged to Romans or to Jews who did not follow this rule.