There are a lot of specific terms about poultry you might not be familair with especially if you are new to raising chickens, some of the terms used in the poultry industry can seem overwhelming.
If you’re thinking about getting chickens, ducks, geese, or other fowl, it’s good to get used to these common terms.
This is a list of poultry terms commonly used in the poultry industry. It is by no means all inclusive nor are the definitions claimed to be universally used. Minor variations in the way the terms are used may be found from region to region.
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Poultry Terms and their Meanings
Below are some of the basic poultry terms and terminologies you need to be aware of:
Terminologies | Meaning |
| Chicks | Both male and female birds of one day old (D.O) to 6-8weeks old. |
| Growers | Both male and female birds of 8-12weeks old |
| Pullets | Female birds that are less than 20weeks old |
| Cockerels | Male birds that are less than 20weeks old |
| Hens | Female birds that are above 20weeks old |
| Broilers | Young birds raised for table meat |
| Poultry | Domesticated birds kept for eating (meat and eggs) |
| Flocks | Group of birds or animals |
| Capon | A male chicken that has been castrated (had part of its testes removed) and made fat for eating |
| Breeds | Crossing of selected birds together with male and female to get “Day old chicks” (D.O.C) |
| Ovary | Organs in female birds in which ovum are produced |
| Ovum | Female egg that can develop into a fertile or infertile york |
| Pen | Small enclosure for either cattle, poultry or sheep etc. |
| Cull | The removal of undesirable or sick birds |
| Mortality | The death of birds |
| Litter | Litter is a material used as bedding for poultry or to absorb their droppings such as wood shaving, Groundnut husks etc. |
| Pecking | An act by which birds eat the flesh of one another or damaging eggs |
| Droppings | Waste matter I.e: poultry manure dropped from bird’s body |
| Cannibalism | This is an act whereby birds peck each other or eat the flesh of each other. They can peck their heads or feathers which are very dangerous and it can mean some financial loss to poultry farmers. However, to avoid this embarrassment, you must avoid some careless acts like: 1. Overcrowding of birds 2. Collecting birds of different ages 3. Unbalanced rations 4. Inadequate Equipment 5. High temperature |
| Candling | Candling is an act of detecting fertile or infertile eggs by electric testing bulbs |
| Incubation | Incubation is an act of setting fertile eggs into the incubator under all necessary conditions to hatch out “Day Old Chicks” (D.O.C) |
| Debeaking | This is an act whereby the sharp end of the birds beak is cut off and it is designed to prevent birds from damaging eggs or pecking each other. Note: The blade of debeakers should be sharpened and kept real hot. The beak should be cut off to prevent birds from damaging eggs with their beak or pecking each other as earlier stated above. Cutting should not be done harshly i.e. to cut off ½-⅓inch of upper beak slight straight or curved inwardly and cutting should not be done too close to the head or else birds may die of bleeding. |
| Deworming | This is an act of removing worms from birds. Deworm all birds kept in the deep litter by using any deworming drug once every 6months or before starting to lay eggs. For the fact that birds run away from the taste of this drug for instance (for being bitter), poultry farmers are advised to mix the drugs in water after leaving the birds for sometime preferably a day without water and give them the following day as drinking water, it is expected that birds would rush to drink it at least at that particular time they are thirsty. |
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