Terms that are in the chicken world
Maybe you don’t know what they all mean
Frizzle ?
What in the world?
You might hear about some Frizzle Chickens, and what is that?
That really just means curly feathers
The breeds that you see frizzles with the most is the Cochin or Polish
I’ve got a frizzle mix here … this is Chantilly
You can see how curly her feathers are.
There’s something in the genes that makes the feathers grow curled instead of straight
And that’s really all frizzle means.
Bantam ? ?
What’s a Bantam?
A Bantam is a miniature of a large breed
They’re about the quarter of the size of a regular breed chicken
So, just like you have miniature ponies, there are miniature chickens
That’s what Bantams are
Brooder or Brooder Box ?
That is the cage or container that you put the baby chicks in while they have their fluff until they grow into their first set of feathers
You might hear it terms of the hen…that a hen is broody, or a hen is a brooder
That would mean that the hen is wanting to sit on eggs, or sit on a clutch
Clutch ?
A clutch is a group of eggs that need to be hatched
Cockerel and Pullet ? ?
Cockerel is a male chicken that is under a year old
Pullet is a female under a year old
They’re no longer considered a chick once they’ve got full feathers…
But they aren’t a year old yet when they’re considered an adult
Incubator ?
An incubator is a machine that you put the fertile eggs in to keep them at the correct temperature to be able to hatch chicks, if you don’t have a broody hen that’s going to sit on them
You can just do it without having a hen and put them in an incubator machine
Pipping ?
Then if you’re incubating eggs or if you’re hatching chicks, you might hear the term pipping Pipping is when the chick in the egg starts cracking through the shell
Scratch ?
Scratch is a corn based treat and it’s just that…a treat
It is not meant to be feed
It’s not something that you should give a flock all the time
Think of it as candy, as chicken candy
So they should only have it on special occasions, as treats
Straight Run ?
When looking at chicks you might hear this term
Straight run means that the breeder is not sexing them, determining the sex, male or female
You get what you get
So you’re taking the risk that if you want a hen it may grow to be a rooster
Combs, Waddles and Hackles ?
The comb is the crested red part, whether it’s a stand up comb or it’s a rose comb that is flatter to the head
The waddles is the red part that hangs down off the side of their beak
Hackles are their neck feathers
If you’re new to the chicken world, these are some the terms that might be new to you
I hope that was helpful
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
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