# Ask the chicken person **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371 "2007-09-16T02:47:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/21 "2007-09-16T04:30:42Z")
Q: Do you and the other bird people just call them “chickens” regardless of their sex? I mean, what term do you use when you want to include both males and females of that delicious species? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/22 "2007-09-16T04:37:10Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] Alright, alright- enough of the guilt trip. Naturalized turkey, grouse, or quail, then. No peacocks. I have a question about my wild ducks. I have buttonbush, oaks, and plenty of burrs and sedge, and a lovely, slow creek, and a couple of standing dead trees. Wood ducks stop by to graze and bathe, but won’t nest here. All nest box plans and pics show boxes just a few feet above water, but all video and literature shows wood ducks nesting in very high hollow trees. I’ll build some this winter, but where should I mount them? [/QUOTE] No guilt trip meant 🙂 I’ll have to double check with my classmates who deal more with the wild birds. [This cite](http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/woodduck/wdnbox.htm) says to place the boxes about 4 feet above the water. But, it cautions, the birds are highly selective and want somewhere uber seclusive. Maybe your spot is too active? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/23 "2007-09-16T04:40:10Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] Oh, one more thing. I really love M.I.A.'s new song and video Bird Flu, [here on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6iEe_1kWqA). Do all roosters have a terrific sense of rhythm, or has the rooster in the intro had professional training? [/QUOTE] Methinks that rooster is benefiting from some clever video clipping, much like Jessica Simpson \ Neat video! ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/24 "2007-09-16T04:45:37Z")
It is my understanding that chickens were some of the earliest domesticated animals (sorry, no cite). Were they domesticated in one general location and time or did several cultures develop them independently? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/25 "2007-09-16T04:49:59Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] We have tons of wild turkeys around here, and they seem like pretty bold birds. Are they as smart and cagey as Ben Franklin said? They’re sort of cute in their family groups with the little birds all around the big ones. StG [/QUOTE] I haven’t had a whole lot of personal experience with turkeys, but they seem about as bright as chickens. Which means that they are curious, especially about things that are brightly colored or small and fast moving. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/26 "2007-09-16T04:59:14Z")
[QUOTE=Randy Seltzer] Q: Do you and the other bird people just call them “chickens” regardless of their sex? I mean, what term do you use when you want to include both males and females of that delicious species? [/QUOTE] “Chicken” is the genderless term. “rooster” is a sexually active male “hen” is a sexually active female “Chick” is a baby, obviously “pullet” is a teenager female “cockerel” is a teenager male “capons” are neutered males “layers” are breeds that are raised to lay eggs “broilers” “roasters” and “fryers” are all breeds that are raised for meat, with the different terms denoting how big the birds are when they go to market. Most of the popular names used by the lay public for domestic animals are the genderless terms, like sheep, pig, goat, and horse. The exception is cow, which specifically means Sexually active female. The medieval gender neutral term “beeve,” gave us the word beef, but never really caught on. And Cattle is a plural, so you can’t refer to one animal without being gender specific. I think “cow” caught on instead of “bull” because most of the adults on either a beef or dairy operation are females. Now you have way more information than you asked for 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/27 "2007-09-16T05:03:51Z")
[QUOTE=Encinitas] It is my understanding that chickens were some of the earliest domesticated animals (sorry, no cite). Were they domesticated in one general location and time or did several cultures develop them independently? [/QUOTE] The immediate info I’m finding is about 3000 B.C., which matches what I had heard before, but I’m suspicious of the units. Will double check. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/28 "2007-09-16T05:19:58Z")
[QUOTE=Pullet] “Chicken” is the genderless term. [snip] Most of the popular names used by the lay public for domestic animals are the genderless terms, like sheep, pig, goat, and horse. The exception is cow, which specifically means Sexually active female. The medieval gender neutral term “beeve,” gave us the word beef, but never really caught on. And Cattle is a plural, so you can’t refer to one animal without being gender specific. I think “cow” caught on instead of “bull” because most of the adults on either a beef or dairy operation are females. Now you have way more information than you asked for 🙂 [/QUOTE] Okay, how about “goose.” That’s not genderless, is it? What do you chicken-people call those? (Thanks, BTW, for the great chicken terms!) ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/29 "2007-09-16T05:23:34Z")
I’ve always wondered how a chicken gets all her eggs to hatch at roughly the same time. I mean, she lays one egg a day, which means for a clutch of 12 eggs the oldest egg is 12 days older than the newest one. Yet they all hatch together. How do they do that? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/30 "2007-09-16T05:34:52Z")
[QUOTE=Pullet] Woo! Questions! **Chicken:** Hard to find data because most measurements are from birds that aren’t allowed to go broody, but rather simply counting the number of eggs she lays before her hormones and the light cycle don’t cync up for the month. First guess would be anywhere up to 18, with silkies being notorious for small clutches, but have to do more research. **Turkey:** appears to be 12, for wild turkeys anyhow. **Duck:** Varies wildly by type, from 4 in some to 14 in others. **Goose:** Appears to be 4-5, but most of the data I’m finding now deals with wild birds, or wild-type birds raised in captivity. [/quote] Pikers, the lot of them! The guinea hens at my barn lay a couple dozen per clutch. Or more. We had one hatching of 28 [keets.](http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2679948020000735275mtxkRl) :eek: > [@](#): > > We aren’t taught to, but there are differenced you can pick up on, as you discovered. The main kinds of domestic poultry are pretty easy to tell apart > **Chicken:** smooth white or brown > **Turkey:** tan with little dark brown speckles. More oblong than the others. > **Goose:** BIG. and white. > **Quail:** tiny and tan with brown splotches to varying degrees > **Pigeon:** small and white. > **Guinea fowl:** apparently on the large side, and either smooth brown or lightly speckled. > **Duck** All right – here’s a [study aid for ya.](http://feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKEggs.html)😃 > [@Marlitharn](#): > > I’ve always wondered how a chicken gets all her eggs to hatch at roughly the same time. I mean, she lays one egg a day, which means for a clutch of 12 eggs the oldest egg is 12 days older than the newest one. Yet they all hatch together. How do they do that? I can tell you what I’ve seen of our guinea fowl: The hen apparently doesn’t start brooding until the whole clutch has been laid. No, I don’t know how the eggs would survive not being incubated for so long. **Pullet**? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/31 "2007-09-16T05:38:12Z")
[QUOTE=Randy Seltzer] Okay, how about “goose.” That’s not genderless, is it? What do you chicken-people call those? (Thanks, BTW, for the great chicken terms!) [/QUOTE] You got me. Goose=female Gander=male and gosling=baby. I guess it suffers from the same problem as cows. The genderless term “geese” is a plural, so to refer to one, you have to know the gender. English is teh lames. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/32 "2007-09-16T05:42:45Z")
[QUOTE=Marlitharn] I’ve always wondered how a chicken gets all her eggs to hatch at roughly the same time. I mean, she lays one egg a day, which means for a clutch of 12 eggs the oldest egg is 12 days older than the newest one. Yet they all hatch together. How do they do that? [/QUOTE] It’s a neat thing, actually. The eggs she lays first say in a suspended state until she actually sets down and starts incubating everything. The embryos just wait. When the mom goes broody, she’ll stop laying eggs. That way, all the embryos start development in earnest at the same time, and hatch There are some species of ducks that will start incubating their eggs before they’ve finished laying, making groups of offspring that are days apart in age. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/33 "2007-09-16T14:17:56Z")
Just what is this “Pullet surprise” I keep hearing about? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/34 "2007-09-16T14:36:47Z")
What’s the straight dope on chicken well being? For instance, are a couple of hens happier if there is a rooster around? And what (suppose you have enough cage-space) is the optimum number to keep together? I ask because my MIL has 4 chickens, without a rooster, and they seem very content. Also, what is the deal on chicken-speak? Can you distinguish between the clucking sounds of happy chickens and the sounds of complaining, stressed-out chickens? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/35 "2007-09-16T15:23:16Z")
Given your username it’s not surprising you chose chickens. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/36 "2007-09-16T15:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Pullet] Darwin, but Colonel Saunders brought it to life. Serious answer: the [Red Jungle Fowl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Junglefowl) is likely the bird that domestic chickens were developed from, somewhere in southeast Asia. [/QUOTE] I know about Red Jungle Fowl. I keep saying “John Nance Gardner” when I mean to say [“Henry A Wallace”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Wallace), who followed Gardner as Veep, after inventing the chicken. I have got to remember that name, I am always saying Gardner when I ought to say Wallace. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/37 "2007-09-16T15:50:46Z")
So what \*does \*cause [pip in poultry?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHlJOzgZhEU) And is it serious? ---
**Author:** ![Della](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c68b51/32.png) [@Della](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Della)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/38 "2007-09-16T16:09:09Z")
We used to raise chickens back in the day, and I was always struck by how huge the eggs were relative to the size of the hens. I always wondered how the managed to find the “interior space” to produce and store eggs before they were laid. So, my basic question is how are eggs made? How long does the entire process of egg development take, and when is that oh-so-strong calcified shell added? ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/39 "2007-09-16T16:16:45Z")
Why these chickens attacked the rabbits. Love how right at the end there, one of them puts the rabbit in check. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJzuMTxWPxs) ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371/40 "2007-09-16T16:27:21Z")
If and when my house actually sells, we will be moving to the country. I’d like to get some chickens. Their primary purpose would be to wander around my yard and amuse me. Getting eggs from them would be a bonus and maybe one day raising others for meat might be an option. What is the fewest number of hens to keep? Would 3 be a good number? Or would an even number be better? I know roosters are a pain and unnecessary. I’m trying to find a nice number that wouldn’t be too overwhelming, nor expensive, but still enjoyable. I raised pheasants, peacocks, chickens, etc when I was in high school, very, very long ago. In your humble opinion, what is the best tasting egg? Any significant differences? (if quail tastes just like chicken eggs, but is much smaller, why bother?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-chicken-person/419371.md?page=3)