My research tells me that chickens first appeared in Egypt in about 1000BC as fighting birds, and also to be displayed as exotic pets in personal collections. Interestingly, the Egyptians developed heated incubation units, heated by dung fires. This enabled the Egyptians to have many eggs to eat and trade. This method remained an Egyptian secret for many years.
Really, chicken first appeared in Egypt, this is an additional point to the claim that western civilization began in Egypt.