Does chicken refer to a male or female animal?

Answer 1

Chicken is the entire species. Although chicken actually meant baby chickens at one time it is know used to refer to the whole. A male chicken is called a rooster and female chicken is called a hen. Poultry is the correct term for chickens.

Answer 2

Yes all hens should lay eggs. There are exceptions however.

The hen may be too young,

too old,

may be ill,

may not be getting enough food and water or the right kind of food for a layer hen,

may be going through her yearly moult ,

may be affected by the amount of daylight and will not lay eggs until there is at least 14 hours of sunlight.

There are also breeds that lay as few as 12 eggs a year, and you may have missed the cycle.

Answer 3

"Chicken" can refer to both male and female animals. The term generally refers to the species as a whole, without specifying gender. When referring specifically to the gender, "rooster" is used for males and "hen" for females.

Answer 4

No. Chickens is referring to both male and female. Hens are female, while roosters are male.

Answer 5

No. There are roosters, which are male, and hens, which are female. The word "chicken" tells you what species these animals are, not whether it is male or female.

Answer 6

I believe that most species of female birds are called hens.

Answer 7

No