National Poultry Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Sunday, March 19th. There are until the next observance.

We suspected foul play when we learned that March 19 is National Chicken Day, when we commemorate our country’s love affair with poultry. We hurried to figure out how to honor poultry without bias because we are biased; when it comes to poultry, chickens rule the roost. We’ll simply have to wing it on this one.

📆 When is National Poultry Day?

This year, National Poultry Day is on March 19th. It is the 3rd Sunday in March; in 2024, it is on Tuesday.

Countdown to National Poultry Day

Did you know: Before modern pens were made, feathers were cut at an angle with a razor and then dipped in ink to make writing tools.

You can also discover all cool things you didn’t know about and facts about March 19, 2023.

📜 History of National Poultry Day

Poultry comes from the Latin word “pullus,” which means “small animal.” Today, the term “poultry” refers to domesticated birds raised for meat, eggs, and potentially feathers. The first fowl purposely grown by humans, however, are thought to have been kept for their entertainment value rather than their spicy wings. Archeological evidence suggests that the earliest societies to raise chickens for the sport of cockfighting were in Southeast Asia and China 10,000 years ago. Many ancient societies’ ruins have artistic portrayals of roosters engaged in fights.

Until recently, the first evidence of large-scale chicken consumption was found in Europe in the first century B.C. However, experts believe they have discovered evidence of hens being domesticated for sustenance at least 100 years ago in an ancient Israeli city. We may never know when or how someone first tasted roasted chicken over a fire, but that first barbecued chicken was clearly not the last.

For millennia, chickens have enjoyed divine status in human communities outside of the battle arenas and amphitheaters of ancient Rome, Greece, China, and Asia. Chickens have been worshiped in many regions of the world for their fighting skills and are still thought to have mystical divination powers in some cultures.

Although some individuals still engage in cockfighting, both officially and illegally, the world’s longest continuous sport has been prohibited in all fifty states since 2008. That makes us happy since we believe cockfighting is cruel, and our wonderful feathered buddy, the chicken, is now a scientific superstar. In 2004, geneticists completed the genomic mapping of the chicken, the first domesticated animal and the first bird. It turns out that the chicken is the earliest dinosaur descendent. Who would have guessed? We’re curious whether a cockfight between two ancient roostasaurusrex would be labeled “fowl play” or “pure poultry in action. We’re just thankful that contemporary chickens are pullus, or tiny creatures.

On National Birds Day, we honor chickens and other poultry not just for their culinary worth but also for their less-noticed contribution to humanity as pets. Chickens make excellent pets, whether they are regular laying hens or rare heritage varieties as colorful as tropical fish and costing up to $399 for a single day-old chick. Chickens are excellent micers, perhaps even better than cats, and will keep your vegetable garden fertile and insect-free.

By winging it, we were able to avoid acknowledging that poultry is more than simply chickens. We’ll give it another shot and cook harder next year to include different poultry in our National Poultry Day celebration.

☑️ National Poultry Day facts

Fire tinder
When dry, bird feathers are extremely combustible and may be used as tinder to start a campfire rapidly with only a little spark.

Fishing lures
For years, fly fishermen and women have utilized colorful bird feathers to knot the perfect lure for landing prized trophy fish like mackerel, bass, and trout.

Goose down bedding
Goose down is silky, fluffy, and warm, and it has become the most sought-after filling for exceptionally comfortable—and pricey—pillows and comforters.

Things to do on National Poultry Day

Try a bird of a different feather
Pheasant, duck, quail, goose, and game hens are examples of fowl that are not commonly found on American dinner tables but are popular in other countries. If they are too unusual for you, at the very least, try a capon. A capon is a rooster that has been castrated before reaching sexual maturity. The lack of testosterone and a customized diet yield meat that is extraordinarily soft, juicy, and tasty when compared to conventional chickens. During the early nineteenth century, capons were regarded as a luxury and the poultry of choice for holiday feasts among rich families. Capons are difficult to come by these days, but once you try one, you will never claim anything else “tastes like chicken” again.

Roast a Turducken
If you’re not sure what to offer for supper on National Poultry Day, consider a Turducken. A Turducken is a deboned chicken placed within a deboned duck, which is then put inside a deboned turkey and roasted for nearly a full day. Although the technique of “engastration” (the cookery term for stuffing one animal with another) dates back to the Middle Ages, the name “Turducken” was trademarked in 1986 by the legendary Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme.

Purchase farm-fresh eggs
If you don’t have your own flock of laying hens in your backyard, take a journey beyond the city boundaries to a local co-op or family farm and get a dozen farm-fresh eggs. You’ll never want to buy store-bought eggs again once you’ve tasted the difference between freshly laid and supermarket eggs.

📅 National Poultry Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2024 March 19 Tuesday
2025 March 19 Wednesday
2026 March 19 Thursday
2027 March 19 Friday
2028 March 19 Sunday

View all March holidays, including Food & Beverage and other Cooking holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and cool facts about National Poultry Day. So be sure to check back soon.