Baby poultry names, from chick to squealer

I tend to talk about poultry and related birds a lot. I also talk to other breeders of the same birds and I used to have the tendency to call the babies all chicks. Except for geese and ducks, it just made sense to me. Then I started hearing terms like keet and poult. I decided real quick that I needed to research the baby names of all the different poultry. 

So I set off on a mission to find the correct names for all the domestic poultry babies. I found it interesting that both a turkey and a grouse can be called a poult.....they are so drastically different from each other. 

I had never heard of any baby bird being called a squeaker or a squealer and quite frankly, those made me giggle! I learned a whole lot more, and below is the list I compiled from my research.

Incubation and hatching terms and definitions

Hatching chicks can be a confusing process for someone just starting out. The different types of incubators are baffling, the eggs look so fragile and words get thrown around by 'the old pros' that you've never even heard before. Ugh! Right? 

Well, I've wracked my brain for every incubation term I could think of and compiled a list of terminology for you. Hope this helps you on your chick hatching adventure!

Dictionary of hatching and incubation terms

• Air cell: The pocket of air inside the egg at the large end. The air cell gets larger as incubation progresses.
• Albumen: The egg white.
• Blastoderm: This is the nucleus of the egg when it is fertilized. Seen on the yolk.
• Blastodisc: This is the nucleus of the egg when it is unfertilized. Seen on the yolk.
• Blood Ring: A line or ring of blood inside an egg that has started to develop into a chick but quit at an early stage.
• Bloom: The protective coating on freshly laid eggs that helps seal the pores of the egg shell. This prevents bacteria from entering the egg. Also called the cuticle.

Chickens everywhere....even Instagram!

Well hello there stranger! It's great to have a minute to sit down and say hello. It's been incredibly busy here! Between poultry breeding season and a few family issues I almost haven't had time to breathe. We've also had several deaths in our flocks. 4 completely random with no illness....just drop over dead (2 different flocks) & all under 5 years old. Also 1 vent prolapse in yet another flock....a really bad one and I so wish I could have helped her, but the poor girl was suffering so much. The weirdest part of that one was it happened overnight on the roost, not while trying to lay!

Anyway, bad news aside lets talk chicken figurines again! I got a big kick out of a few gifts I got recently. Both are salt and pepper shaker sets, but both completely different. Cute right?

In celebration of my recent 100 week anniversary on Instagram, I want to invite you to visit me there. I post daily, mostly chicken pictures but occasionally some gardening stuff too. I've really enjoyed the last almost 2 years and if you're on there I'd like you to join me for some feathery fun!
                      

That's about it for now, I'll be back with new posts very shortly. I hope you and your flock had a great 4th of July and enjoy your long weekend!

~L