Backyard Chicken Glossary
Bloom
The delicate, invisible membrane outside an egg's shell that protects the contents from bacteria and other foreign matter.
Cockerel
A juvenile rooster.
Comb
The red, rubbery flesh on top of a chicken's head.
Coop
A chicken house.
Crop
A part of the esophagus where food is digested and softened before it enters the stomach.
Droppings Tray
A tray (metal or wood) located underneath roosting poles that collects droppings for easy disposal.
Dual-Purpose
A hen that is bred for both egg-laying and meat qualities. Dual-purpose breeds are valued for their good nature and cold-hardiness. Orpingtons and Australorps are good dual-purpose breeds.
Dust Bath
A behavior pattern whereby chickens dig themselves a hole in the ground and immerse themselves in the loosened earth, rolling around and trying to get as dirty as possible. The behavior often times looks like spastic fits of some sort. Dust bathing is an important defense against mites and lice, and if they don't have access to a dust bath, they need an artificial dust bath set up indoors.
Feeder
The container that holds and delivers feed to your chickens.
Fertilized Egg
An egg laid by a hen that has mated with a rooster and is capable of becoming a baby chick. (Only possible when roosters are present!)
Fluff
The soft, profuse feathering on a chicken's butt.
Gallus gallus domesticus
The species name (in Latin) of chickens. And some cities consider chickens to be wild fowl??????
Grit
Sand or bits of crushed rock which chickens eat and store in their crop. Essential for proper digestion of food.
Hackles
The feathers around a chicken's neck.
Hen
A female chicken.
Incubation
The process of hatching a fertilized egg via the application of a constant heat source, frequent turning and the maintenance of a humid environment. Incubating baby chicks takes 21 days.
Layer Feed
A complete feed made especially for laying hens.
Molt
The chickens' yearly process of shedding its' feathers and re-growing new ones. During the molt, hens will not lay eggs.
Nest Box
A man-made box designed to encourage hens to lay eggs in it. Common wisdom is that one nest box is required for every 4-5 hens. Placing a golf ball or plastic egg in a nest box is said to encourage a hen to lay her eggs in the nest box when just starting out.
Non-setter
A chicken or breed of chicken that does not have a tendency or desire to incubate fertilized eggs or care for baby chicks.
Pullet
A juvenile hen.
Roost
- Verb: When chickens perch on a pole or branch, as in when they sleep.
- Noun. A pole or branch that chickens perch on.
A male chicken.
Roosting Pole
A man-made perch, usually constructed of wood and located inside the chicken coop, that chickens perch on while they sleep.
Run
An outdoor area where chickens can roam freely, usually attached to the chicken coop.
Saddle
The feathers on the lower part of a chicken's back.
Scratch
- Noun: A special treat that chickens love made of various grains. (Not to be substituted for feed.)
- Verb: An instinctual behavior chickens perform with their claws to dig up bugs, worms, tiny rocks and other goodies they find in the soil.
A chicken or breed of chickens that has a tendency or desire to incubate a batch of fertilized eggs
Shanks
The bottom part of a chicken's legs.
Sickles
The tail feathers on a rooster.
Spur
An additional appendage-like protrusion on a rooster's shanks. (Used for fighting.)
Started Pullet
A juvenile hen between that which has already started laying eggs.
Starter Feed
A complete feed formulated specifically for baby chicks.
Vent
The exernal opening of a chicken through which all waste matter and eggs pass.
Waterer
The container that holds and delivers water for your chickens.
Wattles
The two red, rubbery flaps of flesh on a chicken's neck.
Wheezer
A chicken's butt (colloquial). Read more...
Posts
