Hen crowing suddenly?

[Aunt Angus]

I'm feeling male due to comb and wattle size, and those hackles look roostery to me. But I am wrong often - lol!

Beautiful bird, though! Love those iridescent feathers!

 

[MysteryChicken]

How old are they when still considered pullets? This one is approximately 26 weeks.

Pullet is a female under a year. Hen is a female a year old+.

 

[3KillerBs]

Those feathers look decidedly female in that photo, but young females crowing is extremely unusual.

Can you get a standing side profile photo?

This isn't the best photo to see the saddles clearly, but this is a 12 week Australorp cockerel already showing his decidedly male characteristics.

 

[aart]

Could be some of both.

 

[Acre4Me]

I have 6 chickens that are approximately 26 weeks old. At this point I've only been getting 3 eggs a day and I'm not sure which are laying.

Today I believe one of them crowed. It's is a black Australorp. At this point I assumed they were all hens. But maybe not? The Australorp doesn't have spurs, and it does sort of hunch down when I go to pet or pick it up. So I'm not sure. It does always seem to eyeball me when I come into the run, but more like it's avoiding me. It also has always sounded like it growls or has a cricket sound. We named it Cricket.

Here is a picture from today. Thoughts?
View attachment 3330778

For 26 weeks, the comb and wattles are not unusual for a female at Point of Lay (POL). At 26 weeks, I would expect obvious saddle feathers and there are none here. The hackle (neck) feathers do look more male than would be expected for a pullet.

Agree, a few more pics, while bird is standing, from the side, so we can see posture/stance and better view of all feathering.

Are you sure this was the one that crowed?

 

[NatJ]

I have 6 chickens that are approximately 26 weeks old. At this point I've only been getting 3 eggs a day and I'm not sure which are laying.

You could check to see who is laying:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

The basic idea is that the vent, and the pubic bones, are different in a chicken that is laying or one that is not. A layer has a vent that is larger and looks moist & stretchy (like it could stretch enough for an egg to come out.) There are also two pubic bones, that have ends you can feel right under the skin. They are below the vent, a little bit to each side of center. On a not-layer, they are close together and close to the vent (put a fingertip on each one, and your fingers will be touching each other.) On a layer, they are lower, and spread a fair distance apart (you can put several fingers between the bone tips, or several fingers sideways between the bone tips and the vent.)

Pullets near the point of lay can be confusing, because they are in between the layer and not-layer traits. But because a male never lays eggs, he should be obviously different than the ones that are laying. So if you check them all, and they are all pretty similar, you probably have just females. If you find any that are clearly not laying, you might have a male, or you might have a slow-developing female (who would probably have small, pale comb & wattles.)

 

[ReluctantChickenOwner]

Pullet is a female under a year. Hen is a female a year old+.

Ok thanks. Mine are then still pullets and or 1 cockerel.

 

[ReluctantChickenOwner]

Those feathers look decidedly female in that photo, but young females crowing is extremely unusual.

Can you get a standing side profile photo?

This isn't the best photo to see the saddles clearly, but this is a 12 week Australorp cockerel already showing his decidedly male characteristics.

Ok. Thanks. I did just post 2 more pictures. Not sure if they are any better. It usually goes to the back of the run when I enter. Unless I have grubs or some snack. Sure is always keeping an eye on me. While the others happily forage in the run. Thanks for input. Does yours have spurs starting?

 

[JedJackson]

I see no male specific feathering on this one, and there should be at 26 weeks if it were a regular cockerel.

Sometimes you get a chicken that is kind of in between. Or it could be a female that has a damaged ovary, which would then cause her to develop masculine characteristics like a giant comb and giant wattles, and yes, the crowing. If that is the case, you won't get eggs from her.

 

[Painted Calls]

I see no male specific feathering on this one, and there should be at 26 weeks if it were a regular cockerel.

Sometimes you get a chicken that is kind of in between. Or it could be a female that has a damaged ovary, which would then cause her to develop masculine characteristics like a giant comb and giant wattles, and yes, the crowing. If that is the case, you won't get eggs from her.

Agreed.