Did you know...?
Roosters cannot lay eggs, so they are only destined to become meat. But they do have another job: they need to fertilise the hens, because only a fertilised egg can become a chick. Discover more fun facts and chicken-related expressions here.
Chicken and egg expressions
Have you ever heard these expressions about chickens and eggs?
- Like a headless chicken – when you’re in a panic and don’t know what to do.
- Put all your eggs in one basket – when you depend on only one thing to happen without any back-up plan.
- A good egg – someone who is known to be trustworthy and kind.
- Don’t count your chickens – don’t get excited about something too soon before it has actually happened, in case it might not happen.
- Break some eggs to make an omelette – you have to make some mistakes or sacrifices to achieve something.
- Chicken! – someone who’s a bit afraid of something.
- Walking on eggshells – when you need to behave very cautiously.
- Chickens come home to roost – to face the consequences of your actions.
Do you know any more expressions about chickens? Let Anna and Dean know and they might add them here!
Did you know...
- Sometimes the rounder end of an egg comes out first and sometimes the pointy end does. Isn't that funny? That's because the egg turns as it travels through the oviduct (the tube). So, one egg comes out rounded end first and another will come out pointy end first.
- Laying hens with white earlobes lay white eggs and those with red earlobes lay brown eggs?
- Chickens eat pebbles of their own accord? Not because they taste nice, but because they use the stones to break down the grains in their stomach.
- Chickens can sing? Really, they can! When the chickens go to roost, they make a singing sound in their throat. They do this to reassure each other and let each other know that there’s no danger.
- Chickens also like to eat eggs? When chickens see an egg cracked open, they all dash to eat it.
- Chickens have very good hearing and can hear an egg breaking from far away. Run, chickens, run!
- Chickens have good eyesight? You can’t go close to a chicken without it seeing you.
- A rooster doesn’t crow because the sun is rising, but to let other roosters know who’s the boss? A rooster wakes up as soon as the sun rises and crows straight away. A rooster’s crow can be heard from two kilometres away?
- A chicken cannot fly long distances (even though they have wings)?
- It is very easy to feed hens and roosters separately? Roosters have a thicker head and are larger. So, the bars around their feeding trough are wider and higher, meaning roosters can access it but hens cannot. The bars on the hens’ feeding trough are closer together, so a rooster’s thick head cannot get through.
Test your knowledge
Sometimes, when you’re giving a presentation, you might need to ask the audience questions. Why not test your own knowledge here? You could use them in your presentation
