What is a hen?
Well, "hen" is a female of any member of the bird family, especially of domestic fowl, but also of ostrich, emu and others.

What is poultry?
Any domesticated bird kept for meat, eggs, and feathers are called poultry. Chickens, turkeys, pigeons, doves, and also domestic ducks and geese are then poultry.

And fowl?
Well, it's more or less the same as poultry; the difference is not relevant.

What about roosters and cocks?
Both names apply to male domestic fowl, but "cock" is how they are called in the United Kingdom; "rooster" is their name in the United States.


What is a chicken?
A chicken is a young domestic fowl. But the word also applies to its meat. A baby chicken is usually called chick.

What differentiates the cock (or rooster) from the hen?
Well, the male fowl usually shows pointed feathers on its neck and back, and these are often colored differently from those of females.

How are hens farmed?
Usually, hens are permitted to roam freely in the farmyard or in open-air pens. This is called free-range husbandry and allows hens as much freedom as possible, to live out their instinctual behaviours in a reasonably natural way.

What is a cluck?
It's the characteristic short guttural sound made by hens after laying an egg, and also to call their chicks.

What is a crow?
It's the characteristic loud cry of a cock.

What is peeping?
It's the weak sound made by a chick or any other baby bird.

Are hens useful to man?
Domestic hens are farmed for their meat and eggs.

What do hens usually feed on?
Hens feed on wasted food, such as meal leftovers, fruit or vegetable peelings, but they love scratching at the soil to search for seeds, insects, and worms.

Why is spring an important season to the farmer?
Spring in the farm means not only the renewal of nature but also broody season to hens. They are excellent mothers, protect fiercely their chicks under their wings if necessary, and care for them until they are several weeks old.

Did you read the story of The Little Red Hen?