Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Chicken Dictionary


CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK!!!

I gathered this chickie information from yet another article in Chickens Magazine (Sept./Oct. 2012). I thought I’d share it with you since there are terms and “situations” (for lack of a better word) I never knew about until reading this!
Brought to you alphabetical order…
“Alektorophobia”— A fear of chickens. It has a name and is a legitimate phobia.  My bestie Ashlie may suffer from this. She can be around my birds, though she’s expressed a fear of them. In extreme cases, some people are even uncomfortable around feathers and eggs! Imagine…not being able to eat egg because you are so afraid… 
“Concave Sweep”— Some breeds have “a back that curves continuously from the shoulders to partway up the tail.” (Damerow, 64) Some breeds with a definitive sweep include Langshans and Anconas.

 “Heterozygous”--“Genes in a pair that differ from each other.” (Damerow, 64) If two birds with these types of genes hook-up, the off-spring results are more unpredictable.
“Knock-Knee”— This happens when the hocks “are closer together than the feet.” (Damerow, 64) Basically it’s a leg deformity.
“Roosting Call”— Roosters do this to call in all the ladies so everyone can safely roost together at night. It’s a call that’s rapid, low-pitched and repeated over and over.
“Uropygium”— Located at the end of a chicken’s spinal column. This is where the tail feathers are grown. It’s spongy and a “triangular bump.” (Damerow, 65)
“Zoonosis”— A disease that can travel from chickens or other animals and also to humans. The organisms that cause these diseases are common in our environment, even if chickens are not a part of that environment. Humans with repressed immune systems are most likely to obtain this disease. Most of the time the pathogens are not a problem. Common sense in handling chickens and their waste can help prevent the disease. However, an infected chicken can show no signs of having the disease.
I’m sure there are many more chicken terms and need-to-know information out there. If I ever come across any more, I’ll let you know! 

                                                                                       …cluck… cluck… cluck…

 Damerow, Gail. “The Chicken Encyclopedia: Knowing Chicken Speak Means More Than Understanding Cluck, Bock and Cock-a-doodle-doo.” Chickens Magazine Sept./Oct. 2012: 64+

 

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