Could this be a rooster just started crowing or do hens crow sometimes?

[jaybuckalew]

I posting this for a friend of mine. They have a 5 month old jubilee Orpington. We thought she was a hen but recently she has started crowing. She doesn't have spurs or a bigger comb than any of her other chickens. Can you help?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I'm not an expert but she looks like a sweet hen to me.

 

[valerievr2]

Sometimes, a hen will crow. I am not an expert, but I do know that hens are capable of crowing.

 

[jaybuckalew]

That's what we thought but she was crowing this morning. This is one of my mom's favorite and she is now really worried she will have to get rid of her.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Better side pictures would help but that sure looks like male feathering/ color coming in, orps are often slow maturing, would vote cockerel right now.

 

[GaryDean26]

Hen will sometime crow. I had one such hen crow and after asking around had a fellow breeder send me a whole study done on this. The study found that hens can develop of tumor that can throw off the chemical balance in the hen. These hens are NOT likely to ever lay any eggs so they may even take up male behavior in the flock. We ended up culling our hen. We checked inside and she had the tubing for egg production so we know she was a hen. She was also colored like the hens of that breed (which was distinct from the cockerels), but she got a big cockerel comb and cockerel head.

 

[violettmichelle]

hens can crow! i had a plain old black mutt hen that i had around for a few years (laid eggs for sure) before she started crowing out of the blue.

ive heard its usually the dominant hen in the flock that does it, but that may not be 100% true.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Better side pictures would help but that sure looks like male feathering/ color coming in, orps are often slow maturing, would vote cockerel right now.

x 2 - would be very interested in a nice side shot showing the whole bird (specifically the whole tail) and also a close up shot of the saddle and hackle areas

 

[happyhens1972]

I would say she is definitely a he.

 

[jaybuckalew]

Trying to chase he/she down for the side pictures. I will post them as soon as I have them.