Sophie Bennett
There are many different names for chickens, depending on their age, sex, and purpose. A baby chicken is called a chick, peep, or hatchling. These terms are gender-neutral since it is usually impossible to tell the gender of a baby chicken. Once they grow in feathers, they are called pullets or cockerels, depending on their sex. Pullets are young female chickens that have not yet reached sexual maturity, while cockerels are young male chickens under a year old. After a year, male chickens are referred to as roosters or cocks.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common name for a baby chicken | Chick |
| Other names for a baby chicken | Hatchling, Peep, Juvenile |
| Name for a group of baby chicks | Brood, Peep, Chattering of chicks |
| Name for a baby male chicken | Cockerel |
| Name for a baby female chicken | Pullet |
| Age of a chick | Under 12 weeks old |
| Age of a cockerel | Under 1 year old |
| Age of a pullet | Under 1 year old |
| Name for a male chicken over 1 year old | Rooster, Cock |
| Name for a female chicken over 1 year old | Hen |
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What You'll Learn
A young chicken is called a chick
A young chicken is called a "chick". This term applies to any chicken under 12 weeks old, regardless of sex. In fact, it is usually impossible to distinguish between male and female chicks until they are a few weeks old. Before the 1930s, people in the Western world couldn't tell male and female chicks apart until they reached adolescence.
Chicks are usually covered in fluffy down instead of long, elegant feathers. They start developing their first adult feathers at around five weeks old, but they won't have their first full molt until they are a year and a half old. At this point, they are no longer considered chicks.
When they are still very young, female chicks are called "pullets", while male chicks are called "cockerels". Pullets are exclusively female and are usually defined as young teenager birds that have not yet begun laying eggs. Cockerels are immature male chickens that have not reached sexual maturity. They can breed and exhibit adult behaviours before they are a year old, however.
A group of chicks is called a "brood" or a "peep". A brood refers to a group of chicks that hatched at the same time and are still under the care of the mother hen. Historically, a group of chicks could also be called a "chattering of chicks".
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Pullet refers to a young female chicken
A "pullet" is a term used to refer to a young female chicken. The word is used to describe female chickens that are less than a year old and have not yet started egg production. Pullets are sometimes referred to as "teenager" birds.
When chickens are very young, regardless of their sex, they are called "chicks", hatchlings, or peeps. Once they grow feathers, they are no longer considered chicks. Male chickens under a year old are called "cockerels", and after they hit puberty, they become "roosters" or "cocks".
Female chickens over a year old are called "hens", while male chickens over a year old are called "roosters" or "cocks". "Rooster" is the preferred term in the United States, while "cock" is more common in the rest of the world.
A group of chickens is referred to as a flock, and a group of chicks is called a brood or a peep.
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Cockerel is a young male chicken
A cockerel is a young male chicken. The term is used to describe a juvenile male chicken that has not yet reached sexual maturity.
When chickens are young, female chickens are called "pullets", while male chickens are called "cockerels". Young chickens of both sexes can be referred to as "juveniles" or "chicks". "Chick" is a gender-neutral term, as it is usually difficult to determine the gender of a baby chicken.
Cockerels are not fully grown and have not developed the physical characteristics of an adult rooster. They are often smaller and less colourful than mature roosters. However, they are still able to breed and will exhibit many of the same behaviours as adult birds. For example, cockerels can produce acoustically distinct alarm calls to raptors and ground predators.
Cockerels are considered immature male chickens that have not reached sexual maturity. Once they hit puberty and begin mating, they are referred to as roosters.
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Broiler is a chicken raised for meat
A baby chicken is typically called a "
Now, a broiler is any chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. The commercial production of broiler chickens for meat consumption is a highly industrialized process. There are two major sectors: rearing birds intended for consumption and rearing parent stock for breeding the meat birds.
Broiler chickens are typically white and are bred specifically for optimal health and size to produce a quality product for the consumer. They are raised in large, open structures called houses, where they roam, explore, eat, and commune with other chickens. Some broilers, including free-range chickens, have varying access to the outdoors, based on farmer preference. About 25,000 chickens live together in each chicken house. It takes a broiler chicken about four to six weeks to grow to slaughter weight, although slower-growing breeds reach slaughter weight at approximately 14 weeks of age. Once they've reached the right age and size, they'll all leave together again for processing.
Broiler breeding began around 1916, with the first attempt at a meat crossbreed introduced in the 1930s. This original crossbreed was plagued by problems of low fertility, slow growth, and disease susceptibility. Modern broilers have become very different from the Cornish/Rock crossbreeds. For instance, Donald Shaver, originally a breeder of egg-production breeds, began gathering breeding stock for a broiler program in 1950. In 1958, a full-scale breeding program was commenced, with commercial shipments in Canada and the US in 1959 and in Europe in 1963.
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A group of chicks is called a brood or peep
A baby chicken is typically referred to as a "chick" from the time it hatches until it gets its first set of feathers, which usually happens between 14 and 21 days after hatching. However, the term "chick" can also be used to refer to any chicken under 12 weeks old, regardless of sex.
Historically, a group of chicks has been referred to as a "chattering of chicks" or a "peep of chicks". Today, it is more common to use the term "peep" for each chick, rather than the group. However, a group of chicks that all hatched at the same time can still be referred to as a "brood". This term specifically refers to a group of chicks that are freshly hatched and still under the care of the mother chicken, or "broody".
The terms "chick", "peep", and "brood" are all gender-neutral, as it is usually not possible to determine the sex of a baby chick. Male and female chickens are referred to as "cockerels" and "pullets", respectively, once they grow in feathers rather than down. However, these terms can also be used to refer to young chickens that have not yet reached sexual maturity, generally up to one year of age.
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Frequently asked questions
A baby chicken is called a chick.
Yes, male baby chickens are called cockerels, while female baby chickens are called pullets.
Baby chickens are called chicks until they grow feathers instead of down. This usually happens between 14 and 21 days after they hatch.
A group of baby chickens is called a brood or a peep of chicks.
