I found this on Purinas Website & thought Id share
Scratching Out a Living
An observer of chicken behavior will readily see that they spend most of their waking hours energetically scratching in the earth for seemingly meager bits of food. A person who is working hard but just getting by exhibits similar behavior as they scratch out a living.
Take Under Ones Wing
This phrase means to nurture and mentor the way a mother hen protects her chicks by covering them with her wings.
Hen-Pecked
Hens can be persistent when establishing their rank, and if they know they are higher than another chicken in the pecking order, they arent afraid to let the other chicken know by pecking it. This is how the phrase hen-pecked originated. This phrase is most frequently applied to a situation when the husband in a relationship is dominated by his spouse. In that case, he is hen-pecked.
Scarce as Hens Teeth
Its common sense that hens have no teeth, so this expression is a way to exaggerate the lack of something. It is of American origin and probably dates to colonial times.
Strutting Like A Rooster
The dominant rooster in a group of chickens exhibits a very commanding presence by crowing and posturing. If someone is proud and self confident and shows it in their body language, they are often described as strutting like a rooster.
A Chicken In Every Pot
Enough food for every family is the meaning of this common phrase. It came into use when President Hoover (1929 - 1933) publicly promised a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot during the Great Depression. After Hoovers famous speech, this phrase was frequently used to indicate general prosperity.
"Dont Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
Dont assume youll get exactly what you want until you actually have it. In an Aesop fable, Aesop describes a woman who is taking eggs to market. The woman adds up how much money she will make from the sale. As she does this the basket of eggs falls from her grasp and all of her eggs get smashed. The woman figuratively counted her chickens before they hatched.
All Cooped Up
When it seems like youve been spending too much time inside because of illness or bad weather you may feel like youve been all cooped up and be anxious or fidgety. Chickens exhibit similar behavior when they dont get a chance to get out of the chicken coop to stretch their wings.
The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost
You may think that if you do something bad you can get away with it, but eventually the chickens will come home to roost; youll have to face the consequences of your actions. Its natural behavior for chickens to venture throughout their surroundings during the day, but at night they always come back to the hen house to roost. In this case the bad deeds are compared to the chickens; the consequences will always come back.
Get Your Ducks In A Row
Get prepared! Get organized! The meaning of this common phrase comes from the way ducklings travel behind their mother. Each duckling swims in a straight line behind the one in front of it.
Egg On Your Face
If you were embarrassed that you didnt know the meaning of this phrase, then you would have had egg on your face; you would have looked foolish. This phrase originates from well-mannered people leaving the dinner table with food still on their faces. The meaning may also have come from the days of regional theater when the audience would throw eggs (and other food) at bad actors.
Dont Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
If a basket full of eggs is dropped, chances are that most of those eggs will be cracked and broken. If all your eggs were in that basket you would have lost everything. This phrase is a cautionary statement meaning to give yourself options and not risk everything hoping for one outcome in a situation.
Mad As A Wet Hen
Being mad as a wet hen is being really aggravated. This phrase came from the practice known as breaking a hen, to get her to start laying again after she had become broody. This ill-conceived practice involved dunking her into a bucket of water two or three times until she became irritated and scrambled around the pen. After the dunking she would reluctantly go back to laying, although she would be mad as a wet hen.
Scratching Out a Living
An observer of chicken behavior will readily see that they spend most of their waking hours energetically scratching in the earth for seemingly meager bits of food. A person who is working hard but just getting by exhibits similar behavior as they scratch out a living.
Take Under Ones Wing
This phrase means to nurture and mentor the way a mother hen protects her chicks by covering them with her wings.
Hen-Pecked
Hens can be persistent when establishing their rank, and if they know they are higher than another chicken in the pecking order, they arent afraid to let the other chicken know by pecking it. This is how the phrase hen-pecked originated. This phrase is most frequently applied to a situation when the husband in a relationship is dominated by his spouse. In that case, he is hen-pecked.
Scarce as Hens Teeth
Its common sense that hens have no teeth, so this expression is a way to exaggerate the lack of something. It is of American origin and probably dates to colonial times.
Strutting Like A Rooster
The dominant rooster in a group of chickens exhibits a very commanding presence by crowing and posturing. If someone is proud and self confident and shows it in their body language, they are often described as strutting like a rooster.
A Chicken In Every Pot
Enough food for every family is the meaning of this common phrase. It came into use when President Hoover (1929 - 1933) publicly promised a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot during the Great Depression. After Hoovers famous speech, this phrase was frequently used to indicate general prosperity.
"Dont Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
Dont assume youll get exactly what you want until you actually have it. In an Aesop fable, Aesop describes a woman who is taking eggs to market. The woman adds up how much money she will make from the sale. As she does this the basket of eggs falls from her grasp and all of her eggs get smashed. The woman figuratively counted her chickens before they hatched.
All Cooped Up
When it seems like youve been spending too much time inside because of illness or bad weather you may feel like youve been all cooped up and be anxious or fidgety. Chickens exhibit similar behavior when they dont get a chance to get out of the chicken coop to stretch their wings.
The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost
You may think that if you do something bad you can get away with it, but eventually the chickens will come home to roost; youll have to face the consequences of your actions. Its natural behavior for chickens to venture throughout their surroundings during the day, but at night they always come back to the hen house to roost. In this case the bad deeds are compared to the chickens; the consequences will always come back.
Get Your Ducks In A Row
Get prepared! Get organized! The meaning of this common phrase comes from the way ducklings travel behind their mother. Each duckling swims in a straight line behind the one in front of it.
Egg On Your Face
If you were embarrassed that you didnt know the meaning of this phrase, then you would have had egg on your face; you would have looked foolish. This phrase originates from well-mannered people leaving the dinner table with food still on their faces. The meaning may also have come from the days of regional theater when the audience would throw eggs (and other food) at bad actors.
Dont Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
If a basket full of eggs is dropped, chances are that most of those eggs will be cracked and broken. If all your eggs were in that basket you would have lost everything. This phrase is a cautionary statement meaning to give yourself options and not risk everything hoping for one outcome in a situation.
Mad As A Wet Hen
Being mad as a wet hen is being really aggravated. This phrase came from the practice known as breaking a hen, to get her to start laying again after she had become broody. This ill-conceived practice involved dunking her into a bucket of water two or three times until she became irritated and scrambled around the pen. After the dunking she would reluctantly go back to laying, although she would be mad as a wet hen.
