what is a pullet?

[Summer Rose]

Thanks for posting this link! This Chick thinks this is one of the best Post on the site to educate us beginners!

 

[AJ Farms]

I was first told that a pullet was a little older that a chick and that it could be a hen or a rooster. I was also told that you couldn't tell if it was a hen or rooster! But today a man that was selling chickens said that a pullet was a female that could not yet lay eggs because it was too young and could not be a male! I am new at this stuff as you can see and I hope to get chickens to and I think that I should know what a pullet is! It is confusing when you hear two different definitions for the same word. Can any one help me?

Pullet: A female chicken under one year of age.



God Bless!

edited by staff

 

[pullethouse]

I have 4 pullet chickens and one of my pullets are laying since last month we have gotten a dozen small eggs from her

 

[dadschicks]

I have four young chickens who I assumed would all be hens. They are now about 22 weeks. I got my fist egg today. How would I know if one or more of them are actually going to be roosters?

 

[realsis]

I have four young chickens who I assumed would all be hens.  They are now about 22 weeks.  I got my fist egg today.  How would I know if one or more of them are actually going to be roosters?


The roosters will start to crow. Their are also other male characteristics. But once he crows that's usually a sign of a rooster. Just like a female laying a egg. They mature and crow .as for pullets I always say their pullets until they are one years old. Then they become hens.

 

[YlwBrchHobbyFrm]

Yep, a pullet is a female chicken less than 1 year of age. I put together a complete chicken dictionary (with photos too!) on my blog, if you're curious:

http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-chicken-dictionary.html

As far as dadschicks question:

Yes, the most obvious sign of determining a rooster (and actually a male chicken is called a cockerel until they are one year of age) is when they start to crow. But there are lots of other signs as well, and if you have more than one of the same breed, it's even easier to determine the sex (especially if you have both pullets and cockerels). The males will generally have larger wattles and a larger comb. They will have pin-like hackles (neck or cape feathers), as well as long, thin, pin-like saddle feathers (the lower feathers on the back before the tail). The hackle feathers are what many fly fishing lures are made from!

Now, many breeds have their own defining characteristics between males and females. And if you own a Sebright, you know that males don't have male-like feathers, rather they have "hen feathers" and they are much harder to tell apart! But that's a whole other story...

Either way, enjoy the fun in figuring them out! Always enjoyable

 

[Liselle]

Backyardchickens.com has a page specifically devoted to words and terms used relative to chickens. It specifically says that Pullets are defined by the AGE of the female chicken. Not defined by molting or laying or anything else.

Here's the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...of-common-terms-for-raising-backyard-chickens

Hope that helps.

Thank you!! That's what I was looking for!

 

[Sassenach]

I am a newbie , will be raising egg and meat chickens starting next spring, so thank you for the definition of a 'pullet'. The word was coming up a lot and I had not sorted it out yet.

now.... it is sorted!

 

[Robin37]

I was first told that a pullet was a little older that a chick and that it could be a hen or a rooster.  I was also told that you couldn't tell if it was a hen or rooster!  But today a man that was selling chickens said that a pullet was a female that could not yet lay eggs because it was too young and could not be a male!  I am new at this stuff as you can see and I hope to get chickens to and I think that I should know what a pullet is!  It is confusing when you hear two different definitions for the same word.  Can any one help me?

according to wiki. A pullet is a hen that just started laying until her first molt.

 

[Des R]

Wiki is not a reliable source for information:

"As its own disclaimer states, information on Wikipedia is contributed by anyone who wants to post material, and the expertise of the posters is not taken into consideration. Users may be reading information that is outdated or that has been posted by someone who is not an expert in the field or by someone who wishes to provide misinformation. (Case in point: Four years ago, an Expos student who was writing a paper about the limitations of Wikipedia posted a fictional entry for himself, stating that he was the mayor of a small town in China. Four years later, if you type in his name, or if you do a subject search on Wikipedia for mayors of towns in China, you will still find this fictional entry.) Some information on Wikipedia may well be accurate, but because experts do not review the site's entries..."