The classes of chicken meat, as determined by inspection of appearance and other physical characteristics, are as follows:
- (a) “Rock Cornish game hen” or “Cornish game hen” means a young immature chicken of either sex (usually five to six weeks of age) which weighs not more than two pounds ready-to-cook weight that was prepared from a Cornish chicken of the progeny of a Cornish chicken crossed with another breed of chicken.
- (b) “Broiler” or “fryer” means a young chicken (usually under 16 weeks of age) of either sex, that is tender-meated, with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin, and flexible breastbone cartilage.
- (c) “Roaster” means a young chicken (usually under eight months of age) of either sex, that is tender-meated, with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin, and breastbone cartilage that is somewhat less flexible than that of a broiler or fryer.
- (d) “Caponette,” “caponette fryer,” or “caponette roaster” means a young chicken with the general characteristics of either a fryer or roaster which has been treated with a hormone approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
- (e) “Capon” means an unsexed male chicken (usually under 10 months of age), that is tender-meated with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin.
- (f) “Hen” or “stewing chicken” or “fowl” means a mature female chicken (usually more than 10 months old) with meat less tender than that of a roaster, and nonflexible breastbone.
- (g) “Stag” means a male chicken (usually under 10 months of age) with coarse skin, somewhat toughened and darkened flesh, and considerable hardening of the breastbone cartilage. Stags show a condition of fleshing and a degree of maturity intermediate between that of a roaster and a cock or old rooster.
- (h) “Cock” or “old rooster” means a mature male chicken with coarse skin, toughened and darkened meat, and hardened breastbone.