Why do we always talk about eggs being laid by hens but we always eat chickens?

Answer 1

Because Chicken like Cat or Dog refers to only the animals species. For instance we are humans, but I am a woman, it's the same with Chickens.

Answer 2

We eat "hens" mostly - not roosters, because the meat is obviously not as delectable on a rooster as it is on a hen.
Pretty much, the only reason we have roosters, is so we can get more hens.

We don't even need the roosters for eggs, since hens will lay them regardless.
We just need them so we can hatch out more hens, to lay more eggs, or to produce more meat.

And actually - if you want to get technical, a "CHICKEN" is in reality, a HEN.
A Rooster, is a C*ck.
So.. chicken is very generic but chicken in and of itself, automatically delineates that you're speaking about a HEN.


Just like DUCK, really refers to a FEMALE, and DRAKE is referring to a male. But most lay people call them all DUCKS regardless of sex.
(Like like calling all of the Q-Tips instead of Cotton Swabs, since Q-Tip is a BRAND).

Answer 3

Because the chicken we eat can be either hens or roosters where as, hens are the only chickens that lay eggs!

Answer 4

Eggs are laid only by female birds (hens), that's a fact.
But we eat chickens of both sexes.

Answer 5

"Chicken" is the term for either the species or the meat from that species. A chicken can be of either sex. "Hen" refers to the sex, usually but not always referring to a chicken.