Chicken Terms for Beginners

I was originally going to call this post the A-Z’s of chicken terminology. When I started thinking and listing out chicken terms for beginners, I realized the post would probably be too long. So, I decided to just include the chicken terms that when I first heard them, I was like what!?

A 

Ameraucana – a breed of chicken that carries the blue-egg gene. Some people will interchange Easter Eggers, which are really mutts, and Ameraucana. Easter Eggers (EE) are not true Ameraucanas. EEs could lay blue, green, olive, pink and even lavender eggs where Ameraucana will only lay blue. Ameraucana will have ear tufts and a beard where an EE could have both or none. 

We added an olive egger, Clara, to our flock last year. When we purchased her, we were told she was an Ameraucana so we were expecting blue eggs. However, we are not disappointed. She is the sweetest bird.  

ACV

is an abbreviation for  Apple Cider Vinegar. Many people, including myself, add this to chicken’s water as a probiotic. It can help restore the PH level in the crop and gut. This is sometimes a hot topic with chicken keepers but ACV has many medicinal properties. Just don’t use it for more than five days in a row. 

B  

Bantam – small breeds of chickens. You can get just about any breed as a bantam. The roosters are known to be aggressive. An old saying comes to mind “mean as a bantam (banty) rooster.” I recently saw a post about a “mini” chicken. 

Bloom – coating on the outside of the egg. The bloom protects the embryo from bacteria getting in.  If you don’t wash the bloom off, you can store your fresh eggs on the counter. Read more in my blog in the difference between fresh eggs.

Broiler –  Raised for meat. Also known as a meat bird. 

Broody – A hen whose hormones have kicked in and is trying to hatch chicks. These hens will not lay eggs while they are broody. I’d see a lot of posts about broody hens and wasn’t sure what it was. For more info on broody hens, check out my blog post.  

Brooder – an area set up to house baby chicks that provides heat. Until fully feathered, around six weeks of age, chicks need an additional heat source. A broody hen provides all the heat needed but it’s hard to find a good broody. 

C

Chicken Nipples – not chicken boobs; referred to as a special waterer. Great design to keep the water clean and also to keep your chickens from spilling their water on everything. Now, in Texas, I prefer the old fashioned waterer. Chickens can get their beak down in the water, which helps to cool them off. 

Clutch – a group of eggs laid when your chicken is going broody. She may even gather other hen’s eggs and add to her clutch. 

Comb – red fleshy part on top of the chicken’s head. Comb’s come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the breed of chicken. It also helps regulate their body temperature and can tell you a lot about your chicken’s health. It’s the first thing I look at if I’m worried about my chickens. My mind is always at ease when it’s full and bright red. 

Cockerel – young rooster under a year old 

Crop – part of the digestive system. The crop stores food until it’s ready to be digested. It’s located on the right side of the chest and can be quite large late in the day. When I first noticed a full crop, I thought it was a growth or tumor. Read more in my blog about the crop and the problems your bird could experience. 

Crumble – layer feed that looks like a crumble. Most younger chicks prefer crumbles and as your chicken ages, you may want to switch to pellets. 

Cull – a lot of people believe this means killing and use it in that term but be careful if you are responding or commenting on someone’s post, it actually means to separate or remove. Many people get very offended. 

D

Dual-Purpose – birds that can be used for laying or meat. Four of our chickens are dual-purpose although we will never eat them. 

Dusting or dust bath – Unlike other birds that bathe in water, chickens use dirt. This helps control parasites, like mites and lice, by smothering them plus it helps maintain their feathers by controlling the oil. I’ve set up a dust bath inside our coop area but the chickens have also adopted a spot in the yard. In addition to dirt, I add wood ash, DE, and occasionally herbs.  

DE – diatomaceous earth; This is another hot topic. I use sparingly in the chicken’s dust bath and nest box. I also sprinkle around the edges of the coop. It’s a fine chalky powder made from fossilized diatoms. It works by cutting the exoskeleton of the parasite. Used in large doses, it could damage your chicken’s airways. 

E

Egg Bound – a life-threatening condition where the egg is stuck in the chicken’s oviduct and can’t pass it.

G

Grit – additive to aid in digestion. Free-range chickens pick up dirt and small rocks, store them in the crop, which helps to break down food. If your chickens are not free-ranging, you definitely want to offer grit free choice.  

P

Pasty Butt – condition newly hatch chicks are prone to getting. Many times causes death. Read more in my blog post. 

Pullet – young hen prior to laying

S

Scratch – treat for chickens. It generally consists of corn, seeds, millet, barley, and other grains. It’s more like candy for chickens and is not nutritionally complete. We mix our own at our local feed store. Our girls do not like the millet and would pick around it. To avoid nutritional deficiency, don’t give too much.  

Straight Run Chicks – these chicks have not been sexed, could be pullets or cockerels. Most people hope for a 50-50 mix of male and female but it’s not guaranteed. You could end up with all roosters. 

Sexlink – when my husband first said he was getting a sexlink chicken, I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. Sexlink is a breed of chicken, usually a cross of two heritage breeds, that are bred to produce more eggs. Buttercup is a Golden Comet which is a cross of a White Rock hen and a New Hampshire Rooster. She lays over 300 eggs per year. 

V

Vent –  the opening on the chicken’s bottom. Your chicken’s poop and egg come out of the vent, but not simultaneously. When your chicken is laying an egg, the intestinal tract closes off. 

W

Wattle – red fleshy part that hangs below the chicken’s beak. 

Some people in chicken groups can be very judgy. When I first joined a couple, I was afraid to post a question in fear of feeling stupid. Hopefully, my list of chicken terms for beginners will help decipher some of the lingo.   

If you’re new to raising chickens, be sure and check out my post on beginner’s guide to raising chicks.