Poultry Terminology Quiz

Poultry Terminology

• Artificial Insemination is the process of manually placing sperm into the female reproductive tract.
• Average Liveweight refers to the average live weight of a chicken at the time of harvest or market age.
• Bantam is a small chicken breed weighing between 0.45 to 0.85 kg as an adult.
• Beak is the projecting mouth part of chickens and turkeys consisting of the upper and lower mandibles.
• Bill is the projecting mouth part of waterfowls.
• Breed refers to a race of domestic fowls that maintain distinct characteristics, shape, growth temperament, and egg shell color.
• Breeder is a term that designates the poultry raiser who produces fowls for a special purpose, with the objective of improving their value or adhering to a standard of excellence. Also used to refer to the animals used for breeding.
• Broiler refers to meat-type chicken commonly grown for 35 to 42 days, reaching a liveweight of 1.5 to 2.0 kg.
• Brooder is a place where young chicks or ducklings are cared for after hatching until they have grown and no longer need additional heat.
• Broodiness is the condition when a hen stops laying eggs and wants to sit on a nest of eggs to hatch them.
• Brooding is the process of providing comfort to chicks until their thermo-regulatory mechanism becomes functional.
• Broody is a character trait exhibited by egg sitting female birds.
• Candling is the process of determining infertile eggs using a high-intensity light.
• Cannibalism is the act of eating one's own kind.
• Capon refers to a surgically castrated male chicken.
• Chick refers to a young domestic chicken in the downy stage.
• Chicken is the most popular poultry species, distinct from turkeys, ducks, quails, geese, etc.
• Cloaca is the enlarged part of the digestive tract where the large intestine joins the vent.
• Clutches refer to a group of eggs laid consecutively.
• Cock/Rooster is a male fowl one year old or older.
• Cockerel is an immature male chicken less than one year old.
• Comb is a vascularized tissue growth on top of a fowl's head, serving as an ornamental function, sign of status and condition, and for heat dissipation. Common comb varieties include: single, rose, pea, V-shaped, strawberry, cushion, and buttercup.
• Crop is an enlargement of the gullet that serves as a storage area for feed.
• Culls refer to old hens that have passed their usefulness for commercial egg production.
• Debeaking is the process of cutting off parts of the upper and lower beak of poultry.
• Desnooding is the process of removing the tubular fleshy appendage on the top of the head of some poultry types.
• Down is the first covering of a chick whose major function is for insulation.
• Drake refers to a mature male duck.
• Dubbing is the process of cutting off the comb, wattles, and earlobes to leave the head smooth.
• Duck refers to a mature female duck.
• Duckling is the young of a duck.
• Feed Conversion Ratio is the volume of feed necessary to produce a kilogram gain in weight.
• Fowl is a general term applied to all poultry species, specifically designating mature domestic cocks and hens.
• Fryer is a young bird of about 10 to 16 weeks old.
• Gander is a mature male goose.
• Gizzard is the muscular part of the digestive system of birds that crushes and grinds food, mixing it with digestive juices.
• Gobble is the throaty, gurgling cry of a male turkey.
• Goose refers to a mature female goose.
• Goosling refers to the young of a goose.
• Harvest Recovery is the number or volume of chicken sold or marketed based on the number of day-old chicks raised.
• Hatchery is a place where incubation and hatching facilities and processes are conducted.
• Hatching is the process of a fully developed embryo breaking out of the egg.
• Hen is a mature female chicken that has laid an egg.
• Incubation is the process of keeping eggs at the right temperature and humidity for hatching.
• Infundibulum is the funnel-shaped end of the oviduct in the female bird's reproductive system, located near the ovary.
• Layer refers to an egg-type or dual-type female, aged 6 months, that lays eggs.
• Molting is the process of shedding feathers.
• Morbidity Rate is the number of birds afflicted with disease.
• Oviposition is the act of laying eggs.
• Ovulation refers to the release of a mature ova from ovary which is affected by hormonal secretion.
• Panting is the gasping for air in birds to reduce their body temperature.
• Pinfeathers refer to a feather that is not fully developed.
• Plucking is the process of removing feathers from a bird, especially during dressing.
• Plumage refers to the feathers of a fowl.
• Poulard is a female bird whose ovaries have been removed.
• Poult is the young of a turkey.
• Poultry is a collective term for all domesticated birds that provide economic service to humans.
• Poultry Species refers to the different kinds of birds included in the term "poultry".
• Primaries are the longest feathers of a wing, growing between the pinions and secondaries; hidden when the wing is folded.
• Puberty is the age at which sexual maturity is reached.
• Pullet is a female fowl aged 5 to 6 months, intended for egg production.
• Pullet Duck is a female duck less than 6 months old.
• Quill is the hollow, horny, basal part of a feather stem.
• Secondaries are long, large quill feathers growing between the first and second joint of the wing, nearest the body. They are visible when the wing is folded.
• Shank refers to the portion of a fowl's leg below the hock, excluding foot and toes.
• Single Comb is a comb consisting of a single, fleshy, serrated formation extending from the beak backwards over the crown of the head.
• Spaying is the process of surgically removing the ovary in a female chicken.
• Straight-run refers to a group of male and female chicks.
• Strain refers to a family of any poultry variety that possesses and produces with regularity, common characters which distinguish it from other families of the same variety.
• Tom is a mature male turkey.
• Turkey refers to a mature female turkey.
• Variety is a subdivision of a breed that distinguishes fowls having the standard shape and other characteristics of the breed but differs in plumage colors, comb shape, etc., from other groups of the same breed.
• Vent is the external opening of the lower end of the digestive system in poultry.
• Wattle is a projection of skin hanging from the chin or throat, especially in poultry and goats.
• Web (Web of the feather) refers to the portion of a feather made up of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft.
• Web of the feet refers to the flat skin beside the toes.
• Web of wings refers to the triangular skin attaching the three joints of the wings, visible when the wings are extended.
• Wing-web vaccination is a vaccination technique for poultry that involves inserting the vaccine into the skin of the wing web.

Test your knowledge on essential poultry terminology with this quiz. From artificial insemination to broilers, this quiz covers key terms that every poultry enthusiast should know. Perfect for students and professionals in the field of poultry science.