A boiled capon.
The rooster is a young rooster, a male hen that has not been castrated. The point at which a chicken transitions from a rooster to a rooster is a bit ambiguous, but in general, a rooster is a chicken that has fully matured and mated with chickens, while a rooster is still growing or inexperienced with chickens. . When a rooster is castrated, it becomes a capon. Capons do not develop in the same way as uncastrated birds and are usually calmer and easier to handle, as well as being physically different from roosters and roosters.
The term comes from Old English cokerel, which is a diminutive form of cok or “rooster”. At one time, adult male chickens were called roosters, but when this term acquired a new definition in the jargon, the word “rooster” came into being. “Rooster” dates from the mid-19th century and is particularly popular in the United States, a country where double meanings about roosters in the barnyard abound.
Roosters have several characteristics that distinguish them from hens, often from a very young age. When the chicks first hatch, it is often difficult to distinguish between males and females, but within weeks, the roosters have very pronounced crests on their heads and can appear bulkier, with longer, more decorative tail feathers. As they develop, these features will become more and more noticeable.
Roosters tend to be larger and heavier than hens, with muscular bodies and spurred feet used in fighting. They also have long, decorative tail feathers and heavy fins and crests. A rooster often looks particularly elegant and graceful, as the bird has not yet grown or started fighting to defend its territory with other birds, although roosters can and will fight if left alone. It’s common for a rooster to seem especially proud and self-assured, which explains why “rooster” is sometimes used as slang to describe someone with an inflated ego.
Once a rooster matures into a rooster, he will be happier with a flock of hens to care for. Roosters often rely on patrolling their territory to maintain the loyalty of their hens, and fight fiercely with roosters who try to steal hens from the flock. Cockfighting instinct is world famous and in some regions roosters are bred specifically for fighting as a blood sport.