Tag: Chicken

If someone is running round like a headless chicken or rushing around like a headless chicken, they are panicking when they should be thinking carefully about what needs to be done. [mainly British] Instead of running round like a headless chicken use your efforts in a more productive way. Is headless chicken an idiom? With […]

Undercooked! Simplest answer. If it’s stringy it’s undercooked, if it’s tender and dissolves. It’s perfect, if it’s hard and tough, overcooked! Why is raw chicken stringy? Scientists believe this is caused by the quick growth rate of commercially farmed chickens. This occurs because the breast muscle tissue doesn’t receive enough oxygen from chickens’ developing circulatory […]

A baby chick is not a hen or a rooster. “Hen” and “rooster” are terms used to refer to adult chickens only. By contrast, baby chickens of either sex are called “chicks,” but can also be called “peeps.” Why aren’t there different terms for female baby chicks and male baby chicks? What are baby chickens […]

After extended periods of laying quality may drop off as in thinner shells, less firm yolks and weaker membranes, especially for breeds that maximize laying. But I’d expect the lowest quality eggs from the oldest most spent backyard hens would still be better than most commercially produced eggs. Can you eat a 7 year old […]

A capon (from Latin: caponem) is a cockerel (rooster) that has been castrated or neutered, either physically or chemically, to improve the quality of its flesh for food, and, in some countries like Spain, fattened by forced feeding. What do you call a desexed male chicken? Capon. It is is a surgically desexed male chicken […]

Place on stove, heat water to boiling and then cover and turn heat down to medium. Simmer for three hours and then turn chicken over so breast is in the liquid. Add more water if needed. Continue cooking three more hours until meat flakes and pulls off the bone easily. What is the best cooking […]

between 15 to 22 weeks old. In terms of the age range, pullet chickens are identified between 15 to 22 weeks old. What age is a pullet chicken? Hens over the age of 12 weeks are in this phase, and are known as pullets. This period of their lives usually lasts until 20 weeks old, […]

A stewed older bird can create gallons of stock and usually a couple pounds of shredded meat that go well into tacos or chicken salad. There really is no such thing as a bird that is too old to eat. Resting for a longer time and brining, combined with slow, low cooking will make even […]

Their size and age give them more fat and flavour than younger, smaller chickens. The meat requires long, slow moist cooking to tenderize it, which means the hens are perfect for stews, soups and braised dishes. The slow cooking produces rich broths and sauces. The meat can be used in numerous recipes for quick meals. […]

You’ll know a chicken is at least 16 weeks old if they look like an adult. A young rooster at this age will have spurs that are less than a third of an inch long at 6 months old. As he ages, the spur lengthens, and his spurs can be an inch or more in […]

When are chickens fully grown? Chickens are considered to be fully grown once they reach one year old, although some breeds will continue to grow and develop a bit more after this. How can you tell if a chicken is mature? All Grown Up You’ll know a chicken is at least 16 weeks old if […]

Most of them are culled somewhere between 4 and 6 months. The reason is that they are still tender at that age. However, as a bird gets older the meat begins to get tougher. So you have to keep that in mind if you are culling an older bird. What age does chicken become tough? […]

hen. An adult female bird is called a hen and a sexually immature female is called a pullet. What is a mature female chicken called? Hen = adult female chicken. Cock/Rooster = adult male chicken. What is a mature chicken? A mature hen is the oldest commercially sold chicken, ranging in age from 10 to […]

The chicken seems anatomically complete at hatch, but the thermoregulatory, gastro-intestinal and immune system need further development and maturation. Optimal brooding is essential to optimize animal health and contributes to a good performance and survival in later life. What are the advantages of brooding? The primary advantage of brooding is faster development of embryos by […]

3–6 weeks. The period from hatching until the chickens no longer require supplementary heat is called the ‘brooding period’ and usually lasts for 3–6 weeks, depending on seasonal temperatures and the type of housing. Chickens need supplementary heat when they hatch, because they are unable to maintain their body temperatures. How long should chickens stay […]

Some of you may have seen what look to be like chicken hairs on chicken meat. Does this mean that chickens have hair like humans do? Although seemingly hair-like, these thin hairy protrusions are not hair but modified feathers. What is a chickens hair called? A comb is a fleshy growth or crest on the […]

A chicken’s hackle feathers are the feathers around the neck. These feathers can sometimes be showy in roosters. People that “fly tie” (for trout fishing) usually use long, slender hackle feathers from a rooster. Hackles are actually differently shaped in hens and roosters. What is the purpose of a hackle on a chicken? In mammals, […]

List of poultry feathers Feather Description Notes Main tail feathers The long straight feathers forming the tail, under the tail coverts Muff Feathers projecting below and around the eyes only in bearded breeds Neck hackles The long feathers of the neck Primary flights or primaries The longest and outermost feathers of the wing What do […]

There are various feathers on a chicken that can help you determine whether you have a hen or a rooster. Neck feathers, called hackle feathers, are rounder and shorter on a hen. On a rooster, they are longer and pointier. When can you tell if a chicken is a hen or rooster? Between 5-7 weeks, […]

There are four main types of feathers that adorn a chicken’s body: down feathers, contour feathers, semiplumes, and filoplumes. Each structured differently, and serving their own particular purpose. Do chickens have fur or feathers? Although it may look like hair, chickens have feathers! What kind of feathers do roosters have? Both hens and roosters have […]