chicken grammer question

[Angiebubs]

Nic&Chickies: No I love this! And I understand what everyone is saying-just trying to figure out the english "rules" that make it correct/incorrect. (Im a geek when it comes to this stuff-I am a regulatory document control specialist and work hand in hand with engineer tech writers-maybe that explains it?)

 

[Criskin]

I like to look up the root word when I'm confused. English is such a mutt language. You can usually find out a lot by figuring out its linguistic origin and the way it was originally used. I've won lots of arguments that way. When all else fails, get pedantic.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
That's what I'm thinking.

Chicken Coop doesn't have a plural use the same as any other one of those don't. Don't ask why, it just is.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I agree that when used with coop, chicken is an adjective...like that hippy house painted all those horrible colors. Some other commonly used terms like chicken coop:

dove cote
cigar box
koi pond
reptile house (at the zoo)
tackle box
tool box
horse trailer


One chicken, two or more chickens, chicken meat
One cow, two or more cows (cattle) or beef for meat, although beeves is an acceptable plural for living beef cattle.
one pig, two or more pigs (swine) or pork for meat

English isn't the most consistent language, but I don't think chicken can be plural. We tend to use old English based words for the animals and old French based words for the meat.

 

[Equus5O]

Quote:
Then it should be a horses stable, rather than a horse stable. Or dogs kennel, rather than a dog kennel.

 

[secuono]

No way it can be plural!
You don't say 'horses barn', it's horse barn. You are just naming the building, c'mon people.

 

[juliechick]

It's not "chickens coop" because then that would be confused with the possessive, as in, "chicken's coop", a coop belonging to the chicken.

 

[kareninthesun]

Quote:
I agree. Chicken is used to describe what kind of coop. It could house one or more feathered critter. Now lets throw a wrench in: if you built a tiny house to keep your pet mouse happy, then chose to make this a hobby, you'd build more tiny houses to home your...mouse(s)...eh, mice.

 

[woodmort]

Depends on whether you're talking about the building--the chicken coop--or who owns it--the chickens' coop. I doubt very much if one chicken would own a coop i.e. the chicken's coop--but then some people only keep one so I guess it is possible.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Chicken is more like 2 words than one. Think of it like beef V/S cow.

Chicken when used to mean a whole bird (alive or dead) or whole dressed carcass is a singular term that can also be used as a adjective to to describe something. (chicken house, chicken run, chicken farm an so on) The plural form is chickens


Chicken when used to to mean meat from the bird called a chicken but not whole dresses carcasses is both singular an plural. It falls under the same rules as bacon, beef or veal. Weather its a piece of chicken or a truck load chicken its the same.