poultry
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poultry
A collective term for birds that are bred as farm animals for meat, eggs, and feathers, such as chickens, ducks, geese, or turkeys.
Auf dem Bauernhof wird verschiedenes Geflügel gehalten.
Various kinds of poultry are kept on the farm.
'Geflügel' is a collective term. The prefix 'Ge-' often forms nouns that describe a whole or a group of something, as in 'Gebirge' (many mountains) or 'Gewässer' (many bodies of water). Here it groups together all farm birds.
Das Ge- am Anfang signalisiert oft eine Sammlung, wie beim Gebüsch.
The Ge- at the beginning often signals a collection, as in 'Gebüsch' (bushes/shrubbery).
As a collective term, 'Geflügel' is almost always used in the singular, even when talking about many animals. A plural form 'die Geflügel' does not exist in normal usage.
Der Bauer züchtet Geflügel und Schweine.
The farmer raises poultry and pigs.
You can tell from context whether living animals or the meat are meant. Verbs like 'halten' (to keep) or 'züchten' (to breed/raise) point to the animals. Verbs like 'essen' (to eat), 'braten' (to roast/fry), or 'kaufen' (to buy) refer to the meat.
Wir halten kein Geflügel auf unserem Hof.
We don't keep any poultry on our farm.
In the context of food, you often find 'Geflügel' in fixed combinations. Typical examples are 'Geflügelsalat' (chicken/poultry salad), 'Geflügelwurst' (poultry sausage), or, on menus, simply 'Geflügel vom Grill' (grilled poultry).
Ich nehme ein Brötchen mit Geflügelsalat, bitte.
I'll have a roll with poultry salad, please.
bird
'der Vogel' and 'das Geflügel' are both connected to animals with feathers, but they are used differently. 'Vogel' is the general word for an individual animal, for example a blackbird, an eagle, or a parrot. 'Geflügel' mainly means poultry such as chickens, ducks, or geese, or their meat as food. The words can be confused because poultry are also birds. But not every bird is poultry. For animals in nature, you say 'Vogel'; when talking about food or agriculture, you are more likely to say 'Geflügel'.
Zum Abendessen gibt es heute Geflügel mit Reis und Gemüse.
For dinner today, we're having poultry with rice and vegetables.
Auf dem Balkon sitzt ein kleiner Vogel und singt.
A small bird is sitting on the balcony and singing.