Backyard Chicken Glossary: 24 Terms Explained
The words that show up in backyard chicken specs, reviews and how-to guides, explained without jargon. Open any term for the full explanation and what to look for when buying.
- Automatic coop door
- A timed or light-sensing door that automatically closes the coop at dusk to protect the flock.
- Read more about automatic coop doorRelated: Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors
- Brooder
- A warm, safe enclosure for raising chicks until they are feathered.
- Read more about brooderRelated: Best Chick Brooders for Raising Chicks
- Broody hen
- A hen driven by hormonal changes to stop laying and sit persistently on a clutch of eggs to hatch them.
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- Candling
- Shining a bright light through an egg to check on embryo development during incubation.
- Read more about candlingRelated: Best Egg Candlers
- Chicken math
- The tongue-in-cheek term for a flock steadily growing past the number of birds originally planned for.
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- Chicken tractor
- A movable, bottomless coop and run combo that gets relocated regularly to give chickens fresh ground.
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- Coop space
- The indoor floor space inside a coop, generally figured at about 3 to 4 square feet per standard-size hen.
- Read more about coop spaceRelated: Best Chicken Coops for Backyard Flocks
- Deep litter method
- Letting bedding build up and compost in the coop, adding fresh material on top.
- Read more about deep litter methodRelated: Best Coop Bedding for Chickens
- Dust bath
- Chickens rolling in dry soil or sand to control mites and lice.
- Read more about dust bathRelated: Best Dust Bath Supplies for Happy, Clean Chickens
- Egg incubation
- Keeping fertile eggs at controlled temperature and humidity so embryos develop and hatch, about 21 days for chickens.
- Read more about egg incubation
- Electric poultry netting
- Portable electrified mesh fencing used to expand a chicken's safe range while deterring ground predators.
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- Free ranging
- Letting chickens roam outside a fenced run to forage freely, which increases both diet variety and predator risk.
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- Grit
- Small stones chickens swallow and store in the gizzard to help grind up their food.
- Read more about gritRelated: Best Grit and Oyster Shell Feeders
- Hardware cloth
- Welded wire mesh that keeps out predators. Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not stop predators.
- Read more about hardware clothRelated: Best Hardware Cloth for Chicken Coops and Runs
- Heat plate
- A radiant brooder heater chicks huddle under, a lower fire risk than heat lamps.
- Read more about heat plateRelated: Best Brooder Heat Plates for Chicks
- Layer feed
- Complete feed with added calcium for laying hens, usually around 16 percent protein.
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- Molting
- The yearly process where chickens shed and regrow feathers, usually pausing egg laying for several weeks.
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- Nest box
- A box where hens lay. About one box for every three to four hens is a common rule.
- Read more about nest boxRelated: Best Nesting Boxes for Chickens
- Oyster shell
- A calcium supplement offered free choice for strong eggshells.
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- Pecking order
- The social hierarchy chickens establish within a flock that determines feeding priority and who yields to whom.
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- Predator apron
- Wire mesh laid outward from the base of a run to stop digging predators.
- Read more about predator apronRelated: Best Coop Aprons and Anti-Dig Skirts for Runs
- Roll-away nest box
- A nest box designed with a sloped floor so laid eggs roll gently into a protected collection area.
- Read more about roll-away nest box
- Roosting bar
- A perch where chickens sleep at night, placed higher than the nest boxes so hens do not sleep in them.
- Read more about roosting barRelated: Best Roosting Bars and Chicken Perches
- Run
- A fenced outdoor area attached to the coop where chickens spend the day. Covered runs protect against hawks.
- Read more about runRelated: Best Chicken Runs and Enclosed Pens