Chicken Terms for Anatomy

Feather- You don’t know what a feather is? Come on, now.

Shaft – The dangly hard thing that the feather grows out of

Comb- The fleshy bits on top of the chicken’s beak, come in many shapes and sizes

Vent/Cloaca- The omni-hole that chicken poop and eggs come out of

Gizzard- A hard muscular stomach that grinds the chicken’s food

Crop- An organ in the chicken’s chest that stores food ready to be processed by the gizzard

Leg Scales- Those weird lizardy things on your chickens feet

Pea Comb- Tiny itty bitty combs, hardly noticeable at all

Buttercup Comb- Weirdo double comb, very rare and magical

Cushion Comb- like a little skin pillow

Single Comb- Classic chicken comb, looks like an actual comb, but on a chickens head

Rose Comb- A wanna-be single comb, but not quite there in the majesty

V-Comb- The most badass of combs, looks like crazy flesh horns

Strawberry Comb- Looks like a strawberry, but on a chicken’s head

Spur- Scary and giant growth on a roosters leg, used like a dagger to attack fellow chickens and the hand that feeds him.

Wattle- The droopy appendages that swing back and forth from under your chickens beak.

Hackles- The neck feathers, often raised up in anticipation of a fight. Fight! Fight! Fight!

Saddle Feathers- The sweet, long, droopy feathers around a rooster’s bum.

Chick Tooth- The adorable appendage on a one day old chick’s beak. She used it to help her out of her shell and it will fall off eventually.

Down- The fluffiest fluff on the planet, found on newly hatched chicks