My Account
Shopping Cart ( )
– A –
Addled
An egg containing an embryo that died during early incubation. A spoiled, inedible egg.
Age of lay
The age of a young hen when she begins laying eggs. Lighter-weight breeds typically have a younger age of lay, around 18-22 weeks. Heavier breeds begin laying more toward 24-26 weeks.
Air cell
The pocket of air that forms inside an eggshell at the rounded end between the inner and outer membranes.
Albumen
The clear liquid that forms around an egg yolk, i.e., an egg white.
Ammonia
A toxic gas with no color that can develop in a coop if too much moisture builds up in the litter. High ammonia levels can put your flock at greater risk for respiratory disease.
Anthelmintic
A deworming medication that treats chickens for parasites.
As hatched
Chicks that are not separated into gender groups when hatched.
Autosexing
Purebred chicken breeds in which the sex of newly hatched chicks can be determined by their colors and markings.
– B –
Bantam
A smaller version of a regular chicken breed. Usually weighs two pounds or less.
Beak trimming
Shortening and adjusting the length of a chicken’s beak so it can eat and preen properly.
Beard
Tufts of long feathers under the beak of some chicken breeds. Always associated with a muff.
Beetle brow
A unique feature where the brows protrude over the eyes. Characteristic of Brahma chickens, as well as other breeds.
Billing out
When a chicken or duck scoops feed with its bill or beak and dumps it onto the ground.
Biosecurity
Measures taken to prevent disease among your flock.
Blood feather
Newly growing feathers with a large, visible blood supply. After they develop, the blood vessels regress, and the blood will no longer be seen in the feather. Also called pinfeathers.
Blood spot
A dark blood spot inside the shell of a laid egg. Blood spots are harmless.
Bloom
A thin, moist protective layer over a newly laid egg that protects the shell pores from bacteria and prevents moisture evaporation inside of the egg. Also known as a cuticle.
Break up
Dissuading a hen from brooding.
Breast blister
A blister caused by too much pressure on the breastbone of a chicken. They often occur in heavy-breed males and broilers.
Breed club
An organization that specializes in one breed of poultry.
Broiler
A chicken being raised for meat, bred for optimal size and health.
Brooder
A mechanical “hen” that protects and warms chicks as they grow after incubation.
Brood patch
A section on a hen’s chest where the feathers have been removed, so she can provide more body warmth and moisture to her eggs.
Broody
When a hen is broody, she decides she wants to incubate a nest of eggs until they hatch.
Bumblefoot
A staph infection on the bottom of a chicken’s foot.
– C –
Cage-free
Chickens that aren’t confined to a cage. They may be confined to housing without outdoor access.
Candle
Looking inside an egg using a bright light to determine the quality for eating or incubating and hatching.
Candler
A device with a bright light used to candle eggs.
Cannibalism
When a chicken or other poultry/bird eats all or part of another.
Chicken tractor
A portable chicken coop on wheels. Moving your coop regularly helps you keep a clean area for your chickens.
Chicken forum
A website where people make posts and have discussions about chickens.
Chicken blog
A collection of regularly published articles on a website that cover chicken-related topics.
Chicken wire
Mesh wire that’s used to fence in chickens.
Class
A group of chicken breeds categorized for exhibition.
Clean-legged
When a chicken has no feathers on its legs or feet.
Cloaca
An opening located just inside the vent, where a chicken expels waste and eggs (but not at the same time).
Clutch
The total number of eggs a hen lays during one laying cycle.
Coccidiosis
An intestinal disease in poultry that hinders nutrient absorption and causes diarrhea, weight loss, and other symptoms.
Cockerel
A young male chicken under one year old.
Condition
The health, wellness, and cleanliness state of a chicken or other poultry.
Conformation
The physical measurements and shape of a chicken, such as body length, breast width, and so on, are characteristic of its breed.
Coop training
Training your chickens to become familiar with and comfortable in the type of cage they will housed in during an exhibition.
Crop
A pouch under a hen’s neck that stores feed.
Crop impaction
When a crop becomes impacted with feed, blocking digestion.
Crossed beak
When the upper and lower parts of the beak grow in opposite directions. Also referred to as a scissor beak.
Crumbles
Pelleted feed broken up into smaller pieces.
Cuckoo
V-shaped barring on feathers.
Cull
Removing a low-producing or undesirable chicken from a flock.
Cuticle
A thin, moist protective layer over a newly laid egg that protects the shell pores from bacteria and prevents moisture evaporation inside of the egg. Also known as a bloom.
– D –
Defect
A flaw that makes a chicken lower quality than the breed standard.
Depopulate
Destroying all the birds in a flock, usually to prevent the spread of serious disease.
Deworm
Treating a chicken for parasites.
Diatomaceous earth
A natural powder used as an insecticide.
Disqualification
When a chicken is rendered ineligible for a show award due to an undesirable characteristic.
Double yolker
An egg produced with two yolks in the same shell.
Droopy wing
A limp wing, common in breeds like Japanese and Serama.
Dual purpose breed
A chicken breed that produces many eggs and can also be used as meat.
Dust bath
A container of soil, herbs, wood ash, loose sand, or bedding that chickens use to clean themselves and remove external parasites.
– E –
Ear tuft
A group of feathers growing around a protruding flap from the side of the neck below the ear, common in some chicken breeds like Araucanas.
Egg basket
A container used to gather and move eggs.
Egg bound
When an egg is stuck just inside a hen’s vent.
Egg carton
A box for storing and selling eggs.
Egg eating
When chickens eat their or another chicken’s eggs.
Egg tooth
A sharp cap on the tip of the upper beak in newly hatched birds. It helps them break out of the egg.
Egg tray
A tray used to collect and hold eggs. Also called a flat.
Egg turner
An electric device that automatically rotates incubating eggs.
Electrolytes
A powder made of natural salts and minerals to help birds stay hydrated and regulate body processes.
Enteritis
A disease where growths of necrotic (dead) tissue form in the small intestine, causing inflammation and diarrhea.
– F –
Feather out
When a baby chick grows its first full set of feathers.
Feather picking
When chickens start to pick at each other’s feathers and pull them out, most common in feathering out chicks.
Fertile eggs
Eggs laid by hens who have mated with roosters that can be incubated and produce chicks.
Flighty
Chickens that get more excitable.
Floor eggs
Eggs laid on the floor instead of nests.
Fomite
Any object that can carry and transmit infections from one flock to another, such as a cage or boots.
Forced molt
Artificially forcing the timing of the natural molting process in chickens by restricting water and feed intake. This can result in increased egg production and egg quality.
Fowl pox
A viral infection in chickens that causes lesions, scabs, fever, and loss of appetite.
Free choice
A method of feeding in which water, feed, or supplements are available to chickens at all times.
Free range
Birds that have access to the outdoors and are, ideally, able to roam freely in a large area.
Frostbite
When parts of the body get too cold, typically the comb, wattles, or toes in poultry.
– G –
Genetic diversity
The degree to which genes differ in a flock. The greater the diversity, the healthier and more robust the flock.
Gizzard
A bird’s mechanical stomach. It acts like teeth, since poultry have none, by grinding up whole feed for digestion.
Grandma’s chickens
Pure or cross-bred heritage chicken breeds. Typically Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock.
Grandmaster exhibitor
An American Poultry Association member who has won many class championships in a single variety of one breed.
Grit
A hard ground material, such as pebbles or coarse sand, fed to chickens to help with digestion in the gizzard.
– H –
Hackles
The group of feathers on a chicken’s neck.
Hatchability
How likely a fertile egg is to hatch.
Hatchery
A place where the right conditions are created to grow, hatch, and sell poultry eggs in bulk.
Hatching eggs
Eggs that are meant to be incubated and produce chicks. Unlike table eggs, hatching eggs must be fertile.
Heavy breed
A larger chicken breed that’s round. Hens generally weigh 6 or more pounds and roosters weigh 8 or more pounds.
Hen feathered
When a male has the same sex feathers and color markings as a hen. This is common in Sebrights.
Heritability
The ability of a trait to be genetically inherited by a chicken’s offspring.
Heritage chicken
A chicken hatched from a heritage or old-time egg breed, as recognized by the American Poultry Association breed standard prior to the mid-20th century. They have the following characteristics: natural mating, strong foragers, broody hens, good mothers, disease resistance, fertile, good meat and egg producer.
Hock
The joint between the thigh and shank on a chicken. A chicken’s “ankle.”
Hybrid
A chicken produced from a rooster and hen of two different breeds.
– I –
Impaction
When food gets stuck in the crop and is blocked from being digested or when an egg gets stuck in the cloaca.
Incubator
A device used to keep fertile eggs warm while they incubate and hatch.
– J –
Jungle fowl
Chicken species that come from the jungles of southern Asia.
– K –
Keel
The ridge of cartilage along the center of a chicken’s breast.
– L –
Laced
Feathers with a narrow edge of contrasting colors.
Lash egg
A buildup of egg particles—technically known as caseous exudate—that is laid as an egg, caused by an infected oviduct.
Leg band
A ring that goes around a chicken’s leg and is used for identification.
Lethal gene
An inherited gene that causes a chicken’s death, usually during the embryo stage.
Lice
Small parasitic insects that chew on a chicken’s skin and cause irritation.
Light breed
A large chicken breed that is slender. Hens usually weigh 4.5 pounds or less and roosters weigh 6 pounds or less.
Litter
Loose materials, such as wood shavings, used for poultry bedding, moisture absorption, cushioning, and insulation.
Long crower
A chicken breed bred for the tone and drawn-out duration of the rooster’s crow. Denizli is an example breed.
Long tail
A chicken breed characterized by having particularly long tail feathers. Examples include the Yokohama and Phoenix breeds.
– M –
Mail-order chicks
Newly hatched chicks that are shipped by mail.
Marek’s disease
A disease in chickens caused by a herpes virus that affects the nerves and can cause serious complications or death.
Marek’s vaccine
An antiviral vaccine that prevents paralysis in chickens that get Marek’s disease.
Mating ratio
The optimal number of hens to roosters for good flock fertility.
Meat breed
Chicken breeds bred for quick growth and heavy muscle for optimal meat production.
Mite
A small blood-sucking body parasite that eats a chicken’s feathers, skin, or blood.
Molt
The yearly shedding and regrowth of a bird’s feathers. It typically happens in the fall before cold weather begins.
Morbidity
A measurement of how many chickens in a given flock catch a particular disease.
Mortality
A measurement of how many chickens in a given flock that die from a particular disease.
– N –
National Poultry Improvement Plan
A national federal, state, and industry program that implements disease control and prevention strategies in poultry flocks. The program also monitors flocks and hatcheries for infectious diseases.
Necropsy
An autopsy of a dead chicken to determine cause of death.
Nest box
An enclosed box or area where hens can lay their eggs.
Nest egg
A fake egg left in a nest to show chickens what the nest is for and encourage them to lay their eggs there.
Nest pad
Nest box bedding used to make it cleaner and more comfortable for chickens and protective for eggs.
Nipple drinker
A dispenser that’s installed on a water container that releases a few drops of water at a time when pecked for a chicken to drink.
Northern fowl mite
An ectoparasite commonly found in the U.S. that feeds on chickens and poultry, causing itching, skin scabs, and darkened vent feathers.
Not show quality (NSQ)
A chicken whose characteristics are not up to standard for showing.
– O –
Open show
A poultry show in which owners of any age can compete.
Outcross
Mating chickens that aren’t directly related to introduce new breed genetics into an existing line.
Ova
Yolks that develop in a hen’s ovary and can become embryos if fertilized by a rooster.
Ovum
The singular form of ova.
Ovary
The reproductive organ in a hen in which the ova develops.
Oviduct
A tube-shaped organ in hens through which developing eggs are transported to be laid.
– P –
Pasting
When droppings get stuck to a chick’s vent area and can prevent excretion if not removed.
Pathogen
A microscopic disease-causing organism.
Pathology lab
A facility in which necropsies (chicken autopsies) are performed.
Pecking order
The social hierarchy in a flock.
Pellets
Compressed feed filled with nutrients.
Pet quality
A chicken that isn’t show quality or a high egg producer but is still healthy and a good addition to a home flock.
Pinfeather
A freshly developing feather in young chicks or molting chickens with a pin-like tip.
Pip
The first break a hatching chick makes in its shell.
Plumage
All of a chicken’s feathers.
Point of lay
The age of a bird when it starts to lay eggs.
Pop hole
A small opening in a coop that chickens use to go in and out.
Preen gland
A gland near a chicken’s tail that secretes oils and other organic compounds to preen its feathers.
Preening
A chicken’s method of self-grooming.
Premium list
A catalog of the poultry classes that will be exhibited at a specific show and the corresponding prizes.
Primary feathers
The 10 largest and strongest feathers in a chicken’s plumage that grow at the end of their wings.
Pullet
A female chicken less than a year old.
– Q –
Quality
The extent to which a chicken meets its breed standards. A chicken may be show quality (SQ), not show quality (NSQ), breeder quality (BQ), or pet quality (PQ).
Quill
The shaft of a feather that’s attached to the chicken’s body.
– R –
Rare breed
A chicken breed not commonly used in commercial agriculture but that’s still bred to prevent the loss of their genetic traits in the species.
Red mite
A parasite that lives on chickens and feeds on their blood, which can cause symptoms like fatigue and anemia.
Roo
Short for rooster.
Roost
An elevated bar or other perch where chickens can sleep. Also refers to the act of perching.
Rumpless
When a chicken has no tail, characteristic of Araucanas and is sometimes associated with poor fertility.
– S –
Saddle
Where the back of a chicken joins its tail.
Scaly leg mite
A common poultry parasite that lives on a bird’s legs and feet and can cause irritation and inflammation.
Self color
A chicken with one plumage color.
Self-sufficient breeds
Low-maintenance poultry breeds that forage aggressively and are efficient in independently breeding, raising, and protecting chicks.
Sexed
Chicks that have been grouped by gender.
Shank
The bottom part of a chicken’s leg between the hock and the toes.
Show quality
A chicken with characteristics that conform well to breed standards and are favorable for poultry competitions and exhibitions.
Sickles
The long, thin feathers on a rooster’s tail.
Sour crop
A fungal infection affecting a chicken’s crop and upper digestion.
Splayed leg
A deformity in chicks where the feet point out to the sides, preventing them from standing or walking.
Spur trimming
Shortening and blunting the hard and sharp tip of a chicken’s spurs.
Standard
A chicken that matches the description of its breed in the American Standard of Perfection.
Straight run
When new chicks are not sorted by sex.
Strain
Families of chickens with a selectively established pedigree.
Stress
Physical or emotional pressure that burdens a chicken and can make it more vulnerable to disease and less productive of eggs.
– T –
Table egg
An egg produced with the intention of human consumption, not hatching.
Thrush
Sour crop.
Tidbitting
When roosters or mother hens keep picking up and dropping a piece of food and making short, high-pitched sounds referred to as a food call.
Toe punch
A permanent method of bird identification where a small device is used to punch holes in a chick’s foot webbing.
Tread
When a rooster stands on a hen’s back during mating and makes a series of fast steps.
True Bantam
A chicken breed that only occurs in a small size, having no larger counterpart. Examples include Rosecomb and Serama.
Typex
The physical characteristics of a chicken (size and shape) that indicate its breed.
– U –
Unsexed
Chicks that are not sorted by gender, or straight run.
Urates
Chicken urine. Urates are semi-solid deposits.
– V –
Variety
The subdivision of a chicken breed with certain shared physical features.
Vent
The opening of the cloaca.
Vent sexing
A method of determining a chick’s gender by looking for a tiny male sex organ in the cloaca.
– W –
Wattles
Fleshy skin flaps that hang under a chicken’s beak. They’re more common in some breeds than others.
Wing clipping
Shortening a chicken’s primary feathers on its wing tips so it lacks the balance to fly out of its coop or enclosure.
– X –
Xanthophyll
The pigment that gives egg yolk its color, and sometimes a yellow or orange color to the skin and shanks of certain breeds.
– Y –
Yolkless Egg
A small egg laid that contains no yolk. Often the first egg laid by a pullet or a hen at the beginning or end of a laying cycle.