Crowing Hen

[aggiemae]

One of our RIR's hens has taken to crowing....she is about a year old and has crowed every now and then since she was a few months old but it's happening a few times every day and her crowing is getting louder and more insistent everyday, She is a reliable (pretty much daily) layer.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

 

[Judy]

I assume you have no cockerel. This is not unusual at all when there is no male. One of the hens sort of takes over the male role, to varying degrees. She might crow, stop laying, and/or start climbing on the hens' backs as if to mate (in a dominance gesture.) I have one now who does a convincing crow, if it were louder.

 

[melina90]

That's fascinating! I had no idea hens could start to crow.

 

[allsummedup]

I've heard of female peacocks becoming male peacocks so I guess a crowing hen os actually less of a stretch.
Sounds awesome

 

[Steamdemon]

She might also grow spurs.

 

[aggiemae]

She might also grow spurs.

Pinkie Pie has been the boss hen of the flock since she was a tiny chick. Another interesting thing about the crowing is that it was occasional until about two weeks ago when we put our 2013 chicks out into the yard.She is usually the friendliest hen she made it clear that she didn't take to the idea of new additions to the flock at all well.

So far she is still laying.

 

[lahowardjr]

I don't have a rooster right now and I have a hen who has took over the dominant role in the pen. She doesn't crow but she pushes the others around pretty well. I'm getting a new cockerel ASAP.

 

[nok13]

my rir mix started crowing in the mornings so i ahve rehomed her and the other redish hen, mrs. screech, because while most chickens have a morning screechiness fit, she would keep at it all day, very very loudly, and my chickens are right under nieghbhors' window, and i hear them in my bedroom upstairs apartment as if it was amplified (bad acoustics) but they drove me nuts til i was having anxiety attacks in the a/m. worrying that they would start to really crow...

so today i am going to get tow pekin bantam hens, reputed to be quieter and docile... and my noisy two were rehomed with my garage mechanic who has a large yard and coop in his backyard for free range eggs... i still have a leghorn that screeches but only in the a/m and not quite as loud as the red hens did... the crower still layed and squatted for me, but i caught her in the act crowing with her neck stretched out and everything... id love to have a cock but here we cant, just cause of neighbhor tacit agreements about noise and stuff.

 

[gabbyv01]

Since we have no cockerel one of bantams have taken over the male role as you could say, she will crow and is very protective over our hens. None of my chickens have started laying yet, they will be around 5 months old soon soo when do you think they will start laying eggs? With my bantam that has taken over the male role , I read online that they will stop laying eggs and even though they are not laying yet , I question if my
Bantam will ever lay eggs.

 

[aggiemae]

Our crowing RIR hen still lays an egg every day but she has grown a spur on one leg only. Our Buf Orp, the one that mounts the other hens (my kids call her a lesbihen) does as well.

Gabbyv01, Be patient, they all lay eventually. We have a Wellsummer hatched on 4/1/12 that didn't lay until 3/15/13 but she lays a beautiful speckled egg almost every day now.