Rooster Vs. Chicken

Roosters rule the roost

Roosters and hens are both chickens, the hen being the female and the rooster the male. Chickens are domesticated birds generally raised on farms. Some people keep roosters and hens in their backyard as pets and enjoy the eggs hens lay. Chickens are often not allowed within some city limits, while unincorporated areas may allow them. If a chicken is banned from residential areas, it is most likely to be the rooster, whose tendency to crow can cause a disturbance.

Rooster and Hen Diet

Roosters and hens eat worms, insects, seeds, snails, grains, fruit and vegetables. Both roosters and hens use a scratching motion with their feet to find morsels to eat, and peck at the food to snatch it up and consume.

Different Breeds

There are 12 classes and 60 breeds of chickens. Some breeds include Rhode Island Red, Maran, Plymouth Rock and Leghorn. Different breeds are all over the world and many chickens are indigenous to the area they live in.

Eggs

Some hen eggs are brown

Roosters do not lay eggs, but hens do. In fact, a hen will lay an average of 300 eggs per year. Eggs can be brown, white, bluish-green and pink. Eggs that are brown are laid by hens with red earlobes, a genetic trait. When it is very cold where hens are, they cease producing eggs until the temperature is warmer. Hens don't need a rooster to lay eggs, only to fertilize the egg.

Shared Features of Roosters and Hens

The toenails on roosters and hens are called talons. Both fowl have bad senses of smell but good hearing. Roosters and hens can muster small spurts of flying, maxing out at about 200 feet.

Rooster Facts

Roosters keep on the lookout

Roosters less than one year old are called cockerels. The young rooster can crow as early as four months old, and while roosters are known to crow when the sun comes up, they can and do crow anytime they feel the urge. However, a rooster cannot crow if their neck is not fully extended. Males tend to be larger and have brighter feathers than their hen counterparts. Castrated roosters that have had testes removed become less aggressive and are called capons. Capons are considered good eating by some because they have more tender meat than a non-castrated rooster. Roosters prefer to perch several feet above the ground to keep a lookout over his hens and watch for predators.

Predators

The fox is a wily predator

Predators of chickens include birds like the owl and hawks. Opossum, raccoons, skunks and bobcats are also enemies. It's no coincidence that the primary predator of chickens are nocturnal, meaning they hunt at night. It is at night that the roosters and hens sleep.

Hen Facts

Hens start laying eggs when they are about six months old and hatched baby chickens are called chicks. Hens will keep chicks warm by letting them sit under her in the nest, but she kicks them out when they are large enough to take up her space. Hens have a comb on their head and two wattles under the neck. Hens come in many colors but the intensity of their color is far more subdued than that of the rooster.

References

• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agriculture is fun
• Absolute Astronomy: Roosters
• Food from the Garden: Raising chickens for free range eggs