what is the difference between a chicken and a hen?

[foxmfan1]

what is the difference between a chicken and a hen?

 

[Sweet T]

Hen = female chicken a year old or older
Rooster = male chicken a year or older
Pullet = a young female chicken, less than a year old
Cockerel = a young male chicken, less than a year old

 

[Elena2424]

Chick Newley hatched chicken
Biddy older hen that is done laying but can be good for hatching
Cock mature male
Capon a cockerel that has been castrated
But the difference is a chicken is both hen and rooster
It's like the general name, like instead of saying well my 25 hens and roosters are awesome, you can say my chickens are awesome.

 

[foxmfan1]

so does tthe term have anything to do with whether they have laid an egg or not . iaways though chickens were chickens, when they laid an egg then they became a hen,

 

[Elena2424]

Well they start out as a chick then they turn into a pullet or cockerel (pullet-young immature hen,cockerel-young immature rooster) then I call them "mature" when the hen lays the egg or when the roosters starts to crow, then the hen could also go broody which is when she is to old to lay eggs but she can sit on existing eggs to hatch them.
No I don't think the term has anything to do with that

 

[Ohgrr]

If chickens were people...
Chicken - Human
Hen - adult woman
Cock - adult man
Pullet - female child
Cockerel - Male child
Chick - gender neutral child.

 

[Elena2424]

Yeah chick is the general name for baby chickens, pullet and cockerel
Just like chicken is the general name for cock and hen
Yes you are exactly correct

 

[Elena2424]

Does it make sense or not

 

[foxmfan1]

Does it make sense or not

not really : ), my bf was asking me if we had hens yet, i said you got three chickens right there!!!! I see them as chickens till they lay an egg. lol and my ladies have yet to lay an egg!!!!! spoiled chickens, : ) already four months old and no eggs, they should be ashamed : )

 

[Sweet T]

You'll be very lucky if you have a pullet start laying eggs at 5 months. I had one start laying at 5 months one time. Most girls wait till they're at least 6-7 months old to start laying.