Deborah Abrigg, age 11, of Youngstown, Ohio, for her question:

In what country did the chicken originate?

Our remote ancestors learned the usefulness of domesticated chickens and coaxed them to live in almost every land in the world. The breeds have been improved through the ages and modern chickens are different and very superior to their original ances¬tors. Zoologists, in fact, had a hard time tracing back their family tree. Most experts agree that their wild ancestors were tamed originally in Asia. The domesti¬cated chicken is closely related to small, red jungle fowl that make their homes in India. The wild relative of the chicken weighs no more than a young broiler and lays no more than a dozen eggs a year. Its domesticated cousin may weigh 16 pounds and a good layer may produce 200 eggs a year.

The little red chicken ancestor of India was not an outstanding bird. But she was related to the lordly peacock. Her cousins were graceful pheasants and meaty tur¬keys. All of them are galleforme birds that forage for food by scratching and pecking the ground. The Saw "galleforme" is coined from an ancient name for the barnyard chicken cousin of the family.