The domesticated chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, has precise terminology describing its life stages, which depend on age and sex. This specific vocabulary is necessary because the bird’s characteristics and care requirements change significantly as it matures. Understanding the correct terms clarifies the chicken’s role in a flock and its reproductive potential.
The Universal Term for Baby Chickens
The most widely accepted term for any newly hatched chicken is a “chick.” This designation is gender-neutral, as distinguishing the sex of a day-old chicken is difficult and requires specialized techniques.
Other common terms for a chick include “hatchling,” which emphasizes its recent emergence from the egg, or “peep,” an informal name inspired by the sound they make. The chick stage generally lasts until the young bird loses its down and grows its full juvenile feathers, typically around six to eight weeks of age.
Terminology Based on Gender and Maturity
Once a chicken moves past the downy stage and begins to grow feathers, its path divides based on sex. The term “hen” is reserved exclusively for a mature female chicken, typically one that has begun to lay eggs regularly or has reached one year of age.
Before this point, a young female chicken is known as a “pullet.” The pullet stage begins when the bird is about six to eight weeks old and extends until she lays her first egg, which often occurs between 16 and 24 weeks of age.
Pullets are sometimes referred to as “point-of-lay” when they are nearing the start of egg production, usually around five months old. Physical changes start to appear, such as the gradual enlargement and reddening of the comb and wattles, driven by increasing hormone levels.
The male counterpart to a pullet is a “cockerel,” which is a juvenile male chicken under one year old. Like the pullet, the cockerel is a teenager, but his secondary sex characteristics develop more quickly and prominently than the female’s.
Cockerels will display earlier and larger comb and wattle growth compared to pullets of the same age. Upon reaching full maturity, around one year of age, a cockerel transitions to a “rooster,” or sometimes a “cock,” which is the adult male designation.
Specialized Terms in Poultry Keeping
The poultry industry employs specific vocabulary to describe a chicken’s function or grouping. A “broiler” is a breed of chicken raised specifically for meat production, often reaching market weight in a matter of weeks.
In contrast, a “layer” is a chicken breed selected and kept for its high rate of egg production. A group of chickens is most commonly referred to as a “flock.”
Reproductive Terms
A “clutch” refers to the group of eggs a hen lays on consecutive days before taking a break. A “broody hen” is a female who has stopped laying eggs and is focused on sitting on and incubating a clutch to hatch chicks.