Poultry Terms, Trivia And Misnomers

By Damien Andrews

Keeping poultry is fast becoming more and more popular in the United States. Some people have started keeping poultry, such as Guinea fowl, to eliminate insects. Others are starting to keep poultry for the eggs. Some poultry keepers want the beauty of birds like the peacock in their yards. And yes, many are starting to keep poultry as pets. Myself, I got into keeping poultry to rid my organic garden of insects. But my flock of 30 pearl grey Guinea fowl has grown on me, and thus has earned something of a pet status also. They really are entertaining creatures to watch.

Below is some interesting information about poultry. Some of it dispels myths, some of it explains misnomers and some of it is just interesting.

Guinea fowl are sometimes referred to as Guinea hens. This is technically not correct, though common and accepted. All Guinea fowl are not hens, which are females.

Female poultry will lay eggs even if no male of the species is available. These eggs will not be fertile, and therefore will never hatch, but they are fine for consumption.

Peacocks refers to the male of the species. Peahens are the females. Peacocks are one of the species in which the male is obviously more attractive than the female –at least to human eyes. This is also true of lions, which are not poultry.

The chicken is the most popular type of poultry. As such, the breeding of chickens has been manipulated to produce a vast array of chicken breeds. These carefully managed poultry breeding projects have yielded chickens that are right for almost anyone in any situation. Some are docile, quiet, like to be handled and will happily remain inside a coop producing eggs for the majority of their lives. Others need lots of space, are aggressive and don't lay many eggs.

Putting fertile poultry eggs into an incubator does not ensure a good hatch. Poultry eggs must be turned daily, temperatures and humidity must be closely monitored and regulated, and immediate post-hatching care must be given.

Young chickens are chicks. Young Guinea fowl are keets. Young ducks are ducklings. Young geese are called goslings. Poult is a term that applies to the offspring of numerous poultry including turkeys, chickens, and pheasants.

The different breeds of chickens lay different sized eggs. You can have chickens that lay small, medium or large eggs. Different breeds of chickens also lay different numbers of eggs per week. Some chickens have a high egg production rate, and some have a low egg production rate.

Poultry lay eggs in many sizes from small, such as the Guinea fowl, to large, such as goose. Some extraordinarily large eggs are called jumbo eggs. In recipes, one substitutes two Guinea fowl eggs for each egg called for.

Wild turkeys are quite capable of making short, powerful bursts of flight. They are also amazingly adept at gliding, making their flight distance capability quite formidable. Wild turkeys will also roost on tree limbs, sometimes on limbs that are very high. Wild turkeys, however, are ground dwelling poultry, like Guinea fowl, and prefer to spend the vast majority of their lives on the ground. It is where the nest and breed and raise their young.

Poultry feathers are sought after for both use and beauty. Peacock and Guinea fowl feathers are widely used in art, and goose down is believed by many to be the best insulator for clothing and bedding. Poultry feathers used to be used to stuff entire mattresses that were considered luxurious – and were always toasty warm to sleep in.

If you'd like to know more or learn about raising poultry yourself, here are some poultry resources I find to be invaluable. For Guinea fowl visit the Guinea Fowl International Association website. For chickens and other poultry visit BackYardChickens.com.