Raising chickens can be an extremely rewarding experience. From collecting fresh eggs to enjoying the antics of your flock, chicken keeping offers many benefits. However, when you first start out, the terminology can be confusing. What do you call a baby chicken? What about a teenage chicken? This guide will explain the proper terms for chickens at every stage of life.
Chick – The Baby Chicken
A baby chicken that has just hatched is called a chick. This term is gender neutral and applies to both male and female chicks. Chick is the most common and universally recognized name for a newly hatched chicken.
Sometimes baby chickens are informally referred to as “peeps” This nickname refers to the soft chirping or peeping sounds chicks make when they have freshly hatched You’ll hear lots of peeping when the chicks have just emerged from the egg inside the incubator.
Pullet – The Teenage Hen
Once chicks grow a bit, you can start to determine their gender through physical characteristics and behavior. A young female chicken under one year of age is called a pullet
Pullets are adolescent hens that have not yet started laying eggs. As they reach the age when they begin laying, usually less than a year old they are known as “point of lay” pullets.
Cockerel – The Teenage Rooster
Similarly, a young male chicken under one year of age is called a cockerel. Cockerels are adolescent roosters that are not yet fully mature.
There’s no set age when a cockerel officially becomes a rooster. It depends on the breed and location. Many chicken keepers consider their males to be cockerels until they reach one year of age.
Identifying Pullets and Cockerels
Typically, you can begin accurately sexing chicks at around 6-8 weeks of age. Signs that a chick is a young male include:
- Larger, redder combs and wattles
- Strutting posture with head held high
- Thicker legs
- Early crowing, usually around 12 weeks
Hen – The Mature Female
Once a pullet reaches one year of age and begins laying eggs, she graduates to being called a hen. A hen is a mature, adult female chicken.
Hens remain productive egg layers for 2-3 years on average. The term hen is used regardless of whether the chicken is actively laying eggs or not.
Rooster – The Mature Male
A cockerel becomes known as a rooster once he matures, usually after his first year. Roosters have the characteristic long tail feathers, saddle feathers, and spurs that identify a mature male chicken.
Roosters have a longer lifespan than hens, averaging 5-8 years. The terms cock and cockerel are also sometimes used instead of rooster.
Brood – A Group of Chicks
A group of chicks that were hatched together is called a brood. Don’t confuse this with the term “broody” which refers to a mother hen exhibiting nesting behaviors.
Historically, baby chickens were known as a “peep of chicks” or a “chattering of chicks” based on the sounds they make. These terms are rarely used today.
Flock – Chicken Collective
The term for a group of chickens of mixed ages is a flock. This includes chicks, pullets, cockerels, hens, and roosters together.
A flock usually refers to a group of chickens living together on one farm or homestead under the same care.
Other Chicken Terms
Here are some other common chicken terms every keeper should know:
- Clutch or Peep – Group of chicks
- Brood – Group of hens
- Chook – Slang for chicken
- Biddy – An old hen
- Poultry – General term for all domestic fowl
So, what do I call them?
There are so many different names for baby chickens, that it can be difficult or confusing to decipher which is which and what they all mean.
In the general sense, baby chickens are most commonly called little chicks until they are old enough to be separated into sexes.
It is so hard to differentiate between male and female baby chickens when they are first born and super small, so defining them as hens or roosters is quite difficult. This means that usually, the terms for baby chickens tend to be quite general. Most people refer to baby chickens as chicks or peeps.
Once the baby chickens have grown a little, it is easier to define their gender. Young female chicks are then called a pullet, whilst male baby chickens are called cockerels.
The term pullet is given to a young female chicken that is typically less than a year old and not yet mature enough to lay eggs.
Once these pullets are about to lay their eggs, they can be referred to as point-of-lay chickens. This generally happens just before they are a year old. Once they have passed the one year milestone, then they are referred to as hens and are regularly laying eggs.
A young, male baby chick can be identified by its combs and wattles. These are the little flaps on their heads and under their chins. A male chickens combs and wattles will always be much redder than a female, so it is easier to tell them apart when they are little baby chicks.
A young male chicken is called a cockerel. This is typically the term that is given to male chickens that are below the age of one. After that, the baby chicken is usually fully matured, and can be considered a rooster.
Another term for a young chicken is a boiler. This typically signifies that the chicken is six to nine months old, and not yet at the age of maturity.
Are you confused yet?
If you are lucky enough to lay your eyes upon a group of baby chickens, then generally speaking a large number of chicks is called a clutch. A clutch is a term for a group of very small baby chickens that cannot venture out for themselves just yet.
This term is specific to baby chickens, and this is different to a group of mature chickens which is called a flock. If you are addressing a group of mature female chickens or hens, it is called a brood.
A group of baby chickens are sometimes called peeps, which is a reference to the noises groups of baby chickens make together. These noises are much quieter than adult clucks and are typically sweet little cheeps and peeps.
A large cluster of young chickens that have not yet reached maturity are called something else. These chickens are not still babies, but not fully developed and are then classed as juveniles.
After a time, those little baby chickens will become hens or roosters, and as they age they will be called other things. For instance, an elderly female chicken will go on to be named a biddy, similar to the term for an elderly woman.
In terms of eating a chicken, a young, small chicken that is less than a month old when it is slaughtered is called a poussin or a coquelet. These are the original French terms for a small spring chicken.
In the United States, we call it a Cornish Game Hen. This is also served young and immature, and weighing no heavier than two pounds before cooking. Despite what its name says, the Cornish Game Hen can be either male or female.
Another term for a young cockerel is a capon; this is usually used when the cockerel is 7-10 months old before reaching maturity. A capon has typically been castrated or neutered for better flavor.
If you are still unsure what baby chickens are called, dont worry. No harm, no fowl.
To sum up, baby chickens are called chicks, or peeps. If they are old enough to be categorized into male or female, then young female chickens are called pullets, where young male chickens are called cockerels.
Furthermore, once a young chicken surpasses its first year of age, a female chicken will progress to become a hen, whilst a young male grows to become a rooster.
So, you should now know what baby chickens and all different chickens are called. But dont count your chickens before they hatch.
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Everything you need to know about feeding, raising and housing chickens. Right here.
But, what came first, the chicken or the egg?
We really cannot answer the age old question, but we can help you understand what baby chickens are called and where they come from.
First we will talk about the chicken, before the egg. A mother chicken is called a hen, and a father chicken is a rooster. Female chickens such as hens can lay eggs that are fertilized with a baby or without a baby chicken.
Now comes the egg. Hens must tend to and care for the fertilized eggs for three weeks, by sitting on top of them and keeping them nice and warm. The mother hen even has to turn the eggs to give the baby chickens exercise. This also makes sure that the baby chickens are growing properly and safely.
After the gestation period, the baby chickens will have to be extremely strong in order to break free from the encasing of the egg, so will have to feed on the yummy yolk when they are growing.
Once the baby chicken breaks free, they are hatched from the egg and a baby chicken is born. You may be thinking what are baby chickens called, and havent yet plucked up the courage to ask before.
How to determine if your chicks are male or female. #babychicks #backyardchickens
FAQ
What word is used to call a baby chicken?
To sum up, baby chickens are called chicks, or peeps. If they are old enough to be categorized into male or female, then young female chickens are called pullets, where young male chickens are called cockerels.
How do you say baby chicken?
Baby chickens are usually called “chicks” this is also a standard name for most baby birds.
What is another name for a small chicken?
Young chickens are called chicks. Female chicks are pullets (up to a year of age) and male chicks are cockerels (up to a year of age). So when referring to a certain chick, I might say “This is a pullet chick” to indicate a female baby chicken. Pullets become hens and cockerels become roosters.
What kind of chicken is baby chicken?
Mini cockerels called also baby chickens, as they are referred to, are tasty, healthy and look very impressive on the plate. Perfect for a barbecue and as an idea for a tasty, healthy dinner. Baby chicken is a premium meat.