chicken and hen

[mariebee]

what's the difference between a chicken and a hen

[Batteneye]

Surely Chicken is a general term covering both sexes while a hen is a female chicken.

[jno]

also, a chicken is a dead one. Nobody eats Kentucky Fried Hen.

[spudqueen]

jno - that's what my boss, a farmer most of his life says, hens are hens (or poultry!) whilst chickens are in the butchers or supermarket.

[Octavius]

Well they probably do eat Kentucky Fried Hens and probably Kentucky Fried Roosters as well! Saying that, there was a story about Kentucky Fried Pigeons, but thats for another day.

A hen is generally a female bird, most commonly used in reference to female chickens, where the male is the rooster. A hen party ... is something else.

spudqueen, I have heard someone cal themself a chicken farmer - does that mean they cultivate hen and rooster meat in a factory or laboratory?