pouletier

Pouletier is a French occupational term referring to a person who raises, buys, and sells poultry, especially chickens. The word is derived from poulet, meaning chicken, with the agent suffix -ier, which is used to form trade names for crafts and professions.

In traditional markets and rural economies, a pouletier operated a farm or stall where live birds were kept, slaughtered, dressed, and sold to households, markets, or restaurants. Duties commonly included breeding stock management, feeding, disease control, processing, and keeping records of stock and sales. In some cases the pouletier also dealt with eggs and other poultry species such as ducks or turkeys.

In historical sources, pouletier appears in medieval and early modern contexts as part of local trade networks, sometimes within guild structures or market regulations. The term survives in modern French primarily in historical or regional usage, and more specific terms such as éleveur de volaille or marchand de volailles are preferred in contemporary contexts.

Outside of French, related terms in English include poulterer or poultry farmer, reflecting the shared European trades of raising and selling domesticated birds.