Hen questions

[lesleygl]

This may be a silly question but can you tell me the difference between "normal hens" and big ones, small ones (am assuming this is just as it sounds) pullets, bantams, hybrid layers and I am sure I have seen more types that I can't think of at the moment?

I understand that there are different breeds but not sure about the difference in types

[Eco-Chic]

Essentially there are two size types - Large Fowl and Bantam. Bantams are often small versions of the large fowl but can also be a breed and type in their own right. Hybrids can be either.

Pullet describes the age/stage of growth of a young hen. Sorry can't recall exactly what it is at the moment.

[moola]

A pullet will be in her first year/ 3/4 year of lay. She will usually lay eversoslightly smaller eggs during that period, then get into her full stride. My hybrids woul dlay about 66g eggs for quite a while when they started, then get to 80-90g.

[Suechooks]

Hybrid layers are a deliberate crossing of specific breeds to fix good laying qualities. The most common is the Warren (little brown hens - also known by many other names but essentially the same) this is a cross between Rhode Island Red cockerel and Light Sussex hens. There are lots of others - Bluebelle, Black Rock, Speckledy etc. They are called hybrids as they don't breed true.
Pure breeds are just that and will breed true.

[its hilly]

Another one you will come across is point-of-lay or POL. Just what they sound like, not laying but due to start any time soon.
These are pullets (young females) of, I think 16-20 weeks according to breed, cos some breeds start laying eggs sooner than others.

[Bramble-Poultry]

can i refer you to an article in Homefarmer magazine this month on "first chooks" it covers a lot of the subjects mentioned above.

For the record:

POL are hens that are at the age when they shoudl start laying, however, weather, lighting and season can determine whether they lay within a week or next spring!
Pullet: A young hen
Cockerel: A young male chicken
Cock: an older, established fully mature male chicken
broiler: a bird destined for the table
Grower: a young chicken, usually 4-16 weeks in age
Boiling fowl: a hen that is usually in her last throws of egg production, 5th or 6th year in some cases that will be so tough, that she is only good for boiling long and slow if thats what you have in mind for her.
Large Fowl: are full size birds, usually weighing around 6-8lb in weight
Bantam: miniture version of the large fowl (RIR Bantam)
True Bantam: a small chicken that has no large fowl equivalent. (i.e Pekin, or serama)
Hybrids: - these are formed when you cross a pure breed bird with another pure breed, to get the desired traits from each breed. For example, if you cross a good brown egg layer such as the light sussex, and cross it with the lighter, more feed efficient Rhode Island Red you will get he Warren/Isa Brown/Lohmann type bird. They produce huge amounts of eggs (nearly 300 a year) at the expense of hardly and muscle tissue on the breast. They eat relativly littel for the eggs the produce and are therefore the favoured choice for the commercial operation.

You can get second generation hybrids (called F2) such as the wernlas olives. These are derived from cochin crossed with barred plymouth rock (both pure breeds) which the offspring are then put to Cream Legbar Which is another hybrid in its own right.

The cream legbar is unusual as its a hybrid that breeds true. It lends the blue colouring to the egg, which is overlaid on the brown egg from the cochin/plymouth rock cross to create an olive coloured egg.

[lesleygl]

Thanks all - very useful information
Lesley