Dear
Chicken farmers.
One
of the very important things in chicken business is to know and understand some
poultry terminologies, although this list cannot be exhausted as more terms are
developed every day with relation to chicken and poultry farm.
Knowing
the poultry terminology would go a long way in helping you while relating with
your vet, making presentations or trying to understand a poultry article that
could help you correct some anomalies in your day to day running of your
poultry farm.
Listed
below are list of poultry terminologies and there meanings, some of them you
might have used in you daily running’s of your farm while the others could be a
new information to you, whichever away, no knowledge is wasted, you never can
know where you may need them
S/N
|
TERM
|
DESCRIPTION
|
1.
|
Molt
|
Part
of a hen’s natural reproductive cycle. After laying eggs for about a year, a
hen loses her feathers and rests for a few weeks as new feathers grow in.
This is called molting, or a molt, and it usually happens at the beginning of
winter
|
2.
|
Point
of lay
|
The
age at which a pullet begins to lay eggs.
|
3.
|
Meat
bird
|
Those
breeds of chickens specifically bred for fast growth and broad chest designed
primarily for eating, such as the Broiler.
|
4.
|
Dual
purpose
|
Those
breeds of chickens specifically bred to provide both eggs and meat, Noilers
|
5.
|
sexing
|
The
term may apply to the gene or characteristic, or is often applied to hybrid
crosses that display this characteristic, such as the Black Sex-Link.
|
6.
|
Sex-Link
|
A
genetic trait that creates a difference (usually in color) between males and
females. Most often this is used to refer to traits that make chicks of
different genders visibly distinct for ease of sexing
|
7.
|
Mixed
breed
|
The
result of breeding two different breeds of chickens. Generally referred to as
barnyard mutts.
|
8.
|
Utility
breed
|
Specific
breeds of chickens kept primarily for their egg laying and meat qualities.
|
9.
|
Hybrid
|
A
crossbreed, typically used for a purposeful crossing of two species to
produce offspring with a unique set of Characteristics
|
10.
|
Exhibition
breed
|
Those
breeds of chickens used primarily for show without regard to laying or meat
qualities.
|
11.
|
Capon
|
A
male chicken (rooster) that has been surgically sterilized so that it cannot
reproduce.
|
12.
|
Purebred
|
The
offspring of purebred parents that are of the same class, breed and
variety.
|
13
|
Breed
|
The
specific breed of a chicken such as Plymouth Rock, layers, broiler.
|
14.
|
Chick
|
A
newborn chicken up to six weeks of age
|
15.
|
Pullet
|
A
female chicken under one year of age.
|
16
|
Hen
|
A
female chicken over one year of age.
|
17.
|
Cockerel
|
A
male chicken under one year of age.
|
18.
|
Cock
|
A
male chicken over one year of age.
|
19.
|
Rooster
|
A
male chicken over one year of age.
|
20.
|
Chook
|
English
slang for a chicken.
|
21.
|
Started
pullet
|
A
female chicken less than one year of age that has begun to lay eggs.
|
22.
|
Laying
hen
|
A
female chicken over one year of age that is actively laying eggs
|
23.
|
Biddy
|
Term
used for chicks and also for a hen.
|
24.
|
Laying
|
The
daily activity of laying an egg
|
25.
|
Sitting
|
The
act of a broody hen while laying a clutch of eggs to hatch chicks.
|
26.
|
Setting
|
The
act of a broody hen after she has laid her clutch of eggs and begins the
incubating and hatching process, a duration of approximately twenty-one days.
|
27.
|
Broody
|
The
act of a hen wanting to set on eggs.
|
28.
|
Coop
|
The
structure for housing the chickens
|
29.
|
Clutch
|
The
number of eggs a hen sets on for hatching.
|
30.
|
Brood
|
The
number of chicks that hatch that a hen cares for and raises.
|
31
|
Bantam
|
A
group of small breeds of chickens. Many are small versions of standard
breeds. Bantams generally weigh less than three pounds.
|
32
|
Large
fowl
|
The
original standard size chickens as opposed to bantams. They are generally
heavy-bodied birds that are four pounds or more in weight.
|
I
hope you find the list interesting. Kindly suggest in the comment box, any
information you would want to read about chickens. Kindly know I have backyard
chickens and I love seen them being health.
See
you in my next post.