Before I give bad advice. . .

[Backyard Barb]

My neighbor has a hen who is looking rooster-ish but I think its just a tom hen.

What age do spurs show up?
Is there any type of roo that dosnt have spurs?

Thanks,

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
What's a tom hen. I've never heard of that......

 

[stoopid]

I have hens that have spurs that would make a rooster cry uncle, and I have roos that barely have any spurs at all....

 

[Backyard Barb]

Tom hens only happen in rooster less flocks and even then they dont happen all the time.

Sometimes one of the hens will act a surrogate roo.

Our last flock didnt have a Tom hen but this time we do. She gets out front, picks up sticks and clacks them in her beak. She struts and ruffles her hackles and she almost never lays but I have caught her laying so she is definitely a hen. She even struts around with her wing half cocked and tail feathers up like a roo. She is always the one to announce the arrival of an egg. Thats our girl Jezzibell.

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
Well, thanks for the explanation! Ya learn something new every day!

 

[goldeneggtees]

I had a hen who had bigger wattles and comb than the rest. She also had fairly large spurs but was still low on the totem pole and never showed any signs of any roo behavior, even though she resembled one. Sadly, she died a few months back. I miss her, her name was Randy because we weren't sure what she'd turn out to be. But she was def female as I always seemed walk into the coop just as she was laying her egg.

Edited to add, we have a rooless flock.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If the neighbor asks you and you are not certain, you say, "I don't know". You do not have to have an answer.

 

[Backyard Barb]

BTW, they are white leghorns

 

[Noobchick]

Any attempts at crowing yet?

 

[stubbornhill]

BackyardBarb, maybe you could encourage your neighbor to join BYC and post some pictures of her chicken in question. That way we can all have some fun and see what we think, and she will gain knowledge just like we all have. The more the merrier!