Poultry Vocab

There are numerous terms in the poultry world that many people may not be aware of. Here, I hope to define them for you.

   Chicken- Gallus domesticus; a member of the avian family
   Hen- A female, adult chicken (over 1 year), turkey, or duck
   Rooster OR Cock- A male, adult, intact chicken (over 1 year)
   Pullet- A female, adolescent chicken (under 1 year)
   Cockerel- A male, adolescent, intact chicken (under 1 year)
   Capon- A male, castrated chicken
   Chick- A baby chicken
   Duckling- A baby duck
   Gosling- A baby goose
   Poult- A baby turkey
   Cygnet- A baby swan
   Gander- A male goose
   Goose- A female goose; singular form of geese
   Tom- A male turkey; the English know them as Stags
   Drake- A male duck
   Dual Purpose- Any chicken that is bred for egg-laying AND meat capabilities
   Broiler/Fryer- A chicken bred for meat; a cross between a Cornish hen and a White Rock rooster
   Egg Layer- A chicken bred for egg-laying capabilities (or in the rooster's case, breeding capabilities)
   Bantam- A smaller version of a standard chicken as recognized by the American Bantam Association; approx. 1/3-1/4 the size of a regular chicken
   True Bantam- A bantam where there is no larger version of it; the only two being a Japanese bantam, and a Sebright
   Coop- A home for larger/older chickens where they may take shelter, lay eggs, and roost at night. It can be anything from a doghouse to a barn, depending on flock size.
   Brooder- A home for chicks that allows the owner to control the heat and have a smaller, safer area for chicks to live. This can be a pre-assembled brooder, or a cardboard box, so long as it meets brooder criteria.
   Hatchery- A place where baby poultry are hatched and sold
   Roost- A stick or something similar that the chicken sits/sleeps on at night; also, the act of a chicken sitting/sleeping on a roost
  Flock- A bunch of chickens
   Gaggle- A bunch of geese
   Straight-Run- A term used in hatcheries; straight-run babies have not been sexed, and therefore are random genders that you do not choose
   Molt- The process of "shedding" feathers in birds; generally occurs once a year
   APA- The American Poultry Association; a national poultry organization that sets the breed standards of poultry
   ABA- The American Bantam Association; a national bantam organization that sets the breed standards of bantams
   Banty/Bantie- Slang for a bantam

White egg-layers and Brown egg-layers:
    There are no true differences between white and brown eggs, other than the obvious color. They taste the same. As far as the bird, you can tell what color egg a chicken lays by looking at the earlobe; if its red in color, they lay brown eggs. If it's white, the chicken lays white eggs. White egg-layers tend to be more skittish. The one exception is the Aracauna/Americana. This breed isn't recognized by the APA, but it does lay eggs that vary in color from dark green to light pink. Their earlobes are red, and they are a very skittish bird. If you think you can handle them, they lay beautiful eggs that are great to have. Also, to bust a common misconception that people have, you do NOT need a rooster for eggs- only fertilized ones. Chickens will lay every 24 hours regardless of having a rooster or not. Though, if you want to breed, you need a rooster.

Please excuse me, as I do not have much Duck, Goose, and Turkey vocab updated yet. I know less about these birds and would like to double check all vocabulary before posting. Thank you!