Is There A Difference Between A Chicken And A Hen?

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Oscar De La Huerte Profile
The term 'chicken' is used to describe the species of bird scientifically known as Gallus gallus domesticus.
The term 'hen' refers specifically to female chickens that are over one year old.

The difference between a chicken and a hen

There are a number of terms used to describe the world's favorite source of meat and eggs, and chicken is one that is used to refer to the species as a whole.

Originally, the word chicken actually denoted what we now call a 'chick' or baby chicken, with the species itself called 'fowl' or 'domestic fowl'.

A female chicken that is over 12 months old as what we nowadays refer to as a hen.

The terminology of chickens

The terminology used to describe chickens varies from country to country. In the United States for example, an adult male chicken is known as a 'rooster', whilst citizens of the UK refer to male chickens as 'cocks'.

Whilst we've established that adult female chickens are called hens, younger females are known as pullets. Babies of both sex are known as chicks, and a castrated male is known as a 'capon'.

Colloquialisms for the word 'chicken' include the use of 'yardbird' in Southern states like Tennessee and Texas, whilst people in the UK and Australia occasionally use the word 'chook'.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Chicken is the word describing the species; a hen is the female of the species (a rooster is the male). Hens lay eggs; roosters crow; both are chickens.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I think....Chicken is plural form - more than one..

A matured female is called hen; a matured male is called a rooster.

A baby either male or female is called a chick. More than one is chicks.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
A chicken is a chicken. A hen is a female and a Rooster is a male. They're both chickens.

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Anonymous