Facts about chickens
- A young chicken is called a chick.
- Males are called cocks (Br. Eng.) or roosters (Am. Eng.).
- Females are called hens.
- Males younger than 12 months are called cockerels.
- Females younger than twelve months are called pullets.
- Castrated males are called capons.
- There are more than 24 billion chickens in the world – more than any other bird species
- It takes 21 days for a chick to hatch from an egg.
- Chickens can live for between 5 and 10 years, depending on their breed.
- In the wild, chickens eat seeds, insects, lizards and small mice.
- The oldest hen on record lived until the age of 16.
- The fleshy crest on the head of a chicken is called a comb.
- The hanging flap of skin on each side under the beak is called a wattle (plural caruncles).
- Both males and females have wattles and combs but in most breeds they are more prominent in males.
- Chickens cannot fly long distances but can fly very short distances if they think they are in danger.
- The average hen lays 300 eggs a year.
- Chickens lay fewer but larger eggs as they grow older. An egg without a yolk is called a “dwarf”, “wind” or “fart” egg.