Chickens were first tempted down from trees by rice, research suggests

Red jungle fowl and the modern-day chicken. Photograph: Getty Images

Chickens were originally tempted down from the trees and into domestication by rice, according to research.

Chicken is one of the most popular foods in the world today, with more than one billion birds slaughtered annually in the UK alone. But researchers at the University of Exeter, the University of Oxford and Cardiff University say in a new study that the birds are actually a relatively new addition to our farms.