Poultry Terms ll

gaggle : The proper collective name for a group of geese.

gander : The proper name for a male goose

Gallus Domesticus: The domestic chicken.

Gallus gallus: The Red Jungle Fowl; also called gallus bankiva.

Genus:   A group of closely related animals or plants which differ from one another in only slight characteristics.

germinal cells : The cells within the reproductive organs that will develop to form the zygotes, ova and sperm.

germinal disc : The disc of cells attached to the yolk, formed by multiple division of the fertilized ovum. It will develop into the duckling.

gipsy color: very dark purple approaching black. Found in comb, face and wattles of Silkies, Sumatras, Birchen and Brown Red Modern Games, and to a lesser degree in Sebrights.

gizzard : The bird's version of a stomach. Since birds don't have teeth, they swallow small pebbles and other hard objects which sit in the gizzard and help to grind up food.

goose : A kind of waterfowl. The proper name for a female goose.

gosling : The proper name for a baby goose.

grit : Small pebbles fed to birds to help them grind up their food.

guinea fowl : An ancient kind of semi-domestic bird found in parts of Africa. Has been used as insect control and for meat.

hackle: the rear and side neck plumage of a fowl. Feathers on male and female differ in shape and structure except in breeds having hen-feathered males.

hatch : To break out of the shell. The way birds are born.

hatchability : The ability of eggs to hatch. Can be expressed as either the percentage of fertile eggs that hatched in a given setting or the percentage of total eggs that hatched.

hatchling : The name given to a baby bird just after it has hatched.

hard feather: a term used in describing a plumage characteristic of Game fowl. Hardness is dependent on narrowness and shortness of the feather, toughness and substance of shaft, substance of barbs, and the firm closely knitted character of the barbs forming the web and scanty fluff.

hen : A female bird. The proper name for a female chicken.

hen-feathered: a male having feathers like a female (i.e., oval instead of pointed sex feathers in hackle, saddle, wingbow and sickles). A hen-feathered male is also identical with the female of the same variety in color and markings; as in Sebrights.

hock: the joint between lower thigh and shank, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the knee.

humidity : A measure of the amount of moisture in the air.

imprint : The process of learning to recognize 'mom'. If the natural mother is not around then the first persistent contact will become mom. In ducks the stage when imprinting can occur only lasts about 24 hours after hatching.

incubate : To provide a fertile egg with the conditions necessary for it to develop into a baby.

incubator : A container with the proper humidity and temperature to allow fertile eggs to hatch.

inverted spike: a defective rose comb in which the spike is indented or telescoped into the rear portion of the comb; a disqualification.

keel : The fold of skin that sometimes hangs from the underbody of a duck or goose.

keel-bone: the breast bone or sternum.

keet : The name given to a baby guinea fowl.

knob : A fleshy bump found on the forehead of some breeds of goose.

knock-kneed: a deformity in which legs are closer together at the hocks than at feet. A disqualification when a perceptible angle is evident at the hock.

lamellae : The serrations found on the bills of ducks and geese that look like teeth. They are used to help cut and rip grasses and weeds as well as to hold insects or fish.

lopped comb: a comb which falls over to one side; a Standard requirement in females of some single comb breeds; a disqualification in males of the same breeds, also in males and females of other single comb breeds, as well as in all pea comb and rose comb breeds.

mate : The partner of an animal. The pair-bonding of birds.

main tail feathers: the straight, stiff long feathers of the tail located under and between the coverts of the female, the coverts and sickles of the male.

membrane : A thin, soft pliable sheet or layer of tissue covering an organ.

moult : All birds must get rid of old worn feathers and grow new ones from time to time. This is done all at once (in a few weeks) and is called moulting. All male ducks that come from the Mallard (all domestic ducks except the Muscovy) go through two moults every year. They moult once after the mating season and grow feathers which look like the females. Then they grow new flight feathers and moult once again into their mating colours.

muffs: a cluster of feathers projecting from the face below and around the sides of the eyes and extending from the beard to and covering the earlobes. Found only in combination with a beard. Beards and muffs in large varieties are required to be individually distinct (i.e., three clumps, distinct and definite in formation). In Bantams beards and muffs should appear as one full continuous unbroken development.

notochord : A line of cells that mark the area where an embryo's spinal cord develops.

ovary : The primary female reproductive organ. The female sex cell and the yolk is formed in the ovary.

oviduct : The tube down which the yolk passes. In the upper parts albumen is secreted onto the yolk, and in the lower parts, the membranes and shell are added. It opens into the vent.

pair : When referring to animals this always means a male and female.

Peacock:  term applied to a male peafowl.

Peahen:  term applied to a female.

pecking order : The order of seniority defines who gets to boss who around. It also defines who has first choice at the food dish and who must wait for whom. In ducks and geese this rarely involves violence. It usually is decided by pushing and chasing.

pinfeathers : The feathers that have not grown all the way out yet. They emerge from the skin encased in a hard coating. As the feather grows this coating breaks off.

pip : The first crack in the egg made by the baby bird trying to get out.

pores : The thousands of minute openings in the shell of the egg through which gases are exchanged.

pluck : To pull feathers from a bird.

plumage : The feathers of a bird.

poult : The name given to a baby turkey.

positive enamel white: refers to permanent white in face or earlobes where red is required; a disqualification in some breeds.

poultry : The name for domestic birds. It usually includes just chickens and turkeys.

precocious : Birds that are covered with down and are able to move about and feed themselves very soon after hatching.

predator : An animal that would kill and eat another.

preen : How birds clean and comb their feathers. They use their bills or beaks to get dirt out of their feathers and to make them lie correctly. Ducks and geese also preen to spread oils on the feathers that will make them waterproof.

primary feathers : The large outermost feathers of the wing. They form part of the flight feathers.

pullet : A young bird that has not started to lay yet. The proper name for a young chicken.

pubic bones: the thin, terminal portion of hip bones that form part of the synsacrum or pelvis. Considered important in evaluating productivity of the female fowl.

purebred : An animal that will breed true when mated to another of its kind. An animal whose parents were of the same kind. A 'Thoroughbred' is not the same thing - it is the proper name for a breed of horse.

quill : The long strong feathers of the wing. They used to be used to make pens for writing.

roach back: a deformed, humped back; a disqualification. Note: Should not be confused with heavy hip muscles in a Cornish male, or the required convex back line in Malays and Rouen Ducks.