Hen, rooster, roo, capon, chicks, peeps: The terminology for male and female chickens can sometimes be confusing. A “hen” refers to a female chicken, while a “rooster” or “roo” is a male chicken. A “capon” is a neutered rooster. It’s important to note that these terms specifically apply to adult chickens. When it comes to young chickens, regardless of their gender, they are referred to as “chicks” or “peeps.” The reason for not having separate terms for female and male baby chicks is that historically, it was difficult to determine their gender until they matured. In the 1930s, knowledge from the Japanese helped us identify the gender of chicks.

Chicken, rooster: Sometimes, people mistakenly use the term “chicken” to refer to females and “rooster” to refer to males. For example, someone might say, “I have ten chickens and two roosters,” meaning they have a total of 12 birds: ten hens (female chickens) and two roosters (male chickens). It’s important to clarify that the term “chickens” encompasses both males and females.

Pullets, cockerels, juveniles: Young female chickens are called “pullets,” while young male chickens are referred to as “cockerels.” These young chickens, regardless of their gender, can also be called “juveniles” or “juvenile chickens.”

The transition from a chick to a juvenile, pullet, or cockerel depends on various factors, but generally occurs when they develop feathers instead of down. Male chickens become roosters when they reach sexual maturity and begin mating, while female chickens become hens when they reach puberty and start laying eggs. It’s worth noting that female chickens may continue to be referred to as “pullets” for their entire first year, even after they start laying eggs, as their initial eggs are smaller in size.

Started pullet or started cockerel: These terms are commonly used by hatcheries or breeders. “Started” simply indicates that someone has already begun raising them. If you purchase started birds, you won’t start with them as chicks; instead, you’ll start with them as pullets or cockerels. However, when referring to your own birds, you typically don’t use the terms “started pullets” or “started cockerels,” unless you recently acquired them or plan to sell them. These terms are more commonly used in a business context. Started pullets may sometimes be referred to as “point-of-lay” pullets, indicating they are four or five months old and nearing the age of laying eggs.

Broody: In chicken terminology, “broody” refers to a mother hen that is incubating eggs or raising chicks she has already hatched.

Biddy: “Biddy” is a colloquial term used to refer to female chickens. Originally, it likely specifically referred to older hens, but over time, it came to include both juvenile and mature females. The term may have derived from sounds used to call the flock, such as “biddy-biddy-biddy.” However, there have been variations in spelling, such as “bitty” or “bittie,” leading some to believe it refers to small baby chicks. The current spelling is “biddy,” and it refers to pullets or hens.

Chook: This term is slang used in the UK and Australia to refer to a “chicken.”

Collective nouns for chickens:

Let’s discuss a few group terms for chickens.

Flock: This term is familiar to most people and describes a group of chickens living together. Backyard chicken keepers usually have one flock, but if you keep chickens in separate enclosures, you may have multiple flocks. For instance, you could have a flock of Orpingtons and a flock of Marans, or different flocks of mixed breeds kept separate for various reasons.

Clutch: A clutch refers to the eggs that a broody hen is incubating or the just-hatched chicks that are still drying off under their mother’s care and are too young to venture out.

Brood: A brood refers to a group of baby chicks that hatch around the same time. A mother hen, or “broody,” raises a brood of chicks. In the past, a group of chicks could be called a “chattering of chicks” or a “peep of chicks.” Nowadays, it is more common to use “peep” to refer to each individual chick rather than the entire group. The term “chattering” is less commonly used except in literary or etymological contexts.