what is the difference between a chicken and a hen?

It's the same as what is the difference between a horse and mare. A horse boy or girl is what it is, a mare is its sex. So mare or stallion it is still a horse isn't it.

A chicken, boy or girl is what it is. A hen is its sex. So hen or rooster its still a chicken.

We tend to confuse matters though by calling a hen under 12 months a pullet instead of a hen. A rooster under 12 months a cockerel and to confuse it further by calling baby ones chicks which sounds like its short for chickens :)
 
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You'll be very lucky if you have a pullet start laying eggs at 5 months. I had one start laying at 5 months one time. Most girls wait till they're at least 6-7 months old to start laying.
lol so do i have a pullet or a chicken now ? I thought i had chickens,
 
lol so do i have a pullet or a chicken now ? I thought i had chickens,


You have a pullet chicken

Just like a puppy dog, a teenage human, a foal horse, calf cow. Like you wouldn't ask do I have a calf or a cow. You have a cow which is still a calf. You have a chicken which is still a pullet. But it will always be a chicken no matter if its yellow and fluffy or 5 years old and crowing. No matter how it changes, no matter what sex it turns out to be, it will still always be a chicken.

Chicken is its species like dog cat cow horse. All the other names describe its sex but don't mean it stops being a chicken.
 
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That seems correct, however, in comments further down, they say a hen is a female chicken over one year. This can't be true since hens start laying around the 3 month age.
 

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