Chicken coops plans

Candle. To examine the contents of an intact egg with a strong light source.

Candler. A device which uses strong light to examine the contents of the egg.

Cannibalism. The bad habit chickens have of eating each other’s flesh, feathers, or eggs.

Cape. The narrow feathers between a chicken’s neck and back.

Carrier. 1. An apparently healthy individual that transmits disease to other individuals. 2. A container used to transport chickens.

Cecum. A blind pouch at the juncture of the small and large intestine (resembles the human appendix); plural: ceca.

Cestode. Tapeworm.

Chalazae. Two white cords on each side of a yolk that keep the yolk properly positioned within the egg white; singular: chalaza.

Chooks. Popular Australian term for chickens.

Classification. The grouping of purebred chickens according to their place of origin, such as “American” or “Asiatic.”

Clean legged. Having no feathers growing down the shanks.

Clinical. Having disease signs or symptoms that can be readily observed.

Cloaca. The chamber just inside the vent where the digestive, reproductive, and excretory tracts come together.

Clutch. 1. A batch of eggs that are hatched together, either in a nest or in an incubator (from the Old Norse word “klekja,” meaning to hatch), also called a “setting”. 2. All the eggs laid by a hen on consecutive days, before she skips a day and starts a new laying cycle.

Coccidiasis. Infection with coccidial protozoa without showing any signs.

Coccidiosis. A parasitic protozoal infestation, usually occurring in damp, unclean housing conditions.

Coccidiostat. A drug used to keep chickens from getting coccidiosis.

Cock. A male chicken; also called a “rooster.”

Cockerel. A male chicken under 1 year old.

Comb. The fleshy, usually red, crown on top of a chicken’s head.

Conformation. A chicken’s body structure.

Contagious. Description of a disease that’s readily transmitted from one individual or flock to another.

Coop. The house or cage in which a chicken lives.

Crest. A puff of feathers on the heads of breeds such, as Houdan, Silkie, or Polish; also called a “topknot.”

Crop. 1. A pouch at the base of a chicken’s neck that bulges after the bird has eaten. 2. To trim a bird’s wattles.

Crossbreed. The offspring of a hen and a rooster of two different breeds.

Cull. 1. To eliminate (kill) a non-productive or inferior chicken from a flock. 2. The non-productive or inferior chicken itself.