Hen who "acts" like a roo! ;-)

[macey]

I have a Rhode Island Red who is "acting" like a roo! Looks like a hen, 1 year old, jumps on the others (but leaves buff orphingtons alone!) does not crow! Is this normal behavior for 1 of 16 chickens? Occurs in fenced area AND pastured times. Coop large enough, run is large enough, food and water always available....

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Yes, when there is no rooster, hens often become the boss and start mounting and sometimes crowing.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I've heard of hens taking on the alpha/rooster role where there is no present rooster. Maybe you just have an alpha kind of girl. I think I've even read that a hen can crow when there's no rooster.

 

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC! I had a RIR hen who attacked me when my back was turned like a mean rooster.

 

[roostersandhens]

You could post in the "What Breed or Gender is This?" section of the forum, if you would like to confirm his/her gender.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

X3 Flocks without roosters will many times have a hen that takes the place of a rooster. I have a hen like this. She is very cranky and sometimes needs pinless peepers to keep her from hurting the other hens and will even bite me sometimes!!!!

Good luck with your hen and welcome to our flock!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

 

[gander007]

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! What the others have said about "alpha" hens is true, but if you would like verification of her sex for your peace of mind, just post a pic of her (full body profile showing legs and tail) and we can verify her sex for you. Good luck with your flock.

 

[Newbeloveschics]

Thank you for the info. I supposed to have six hens and they are around the age of three to four months. They are all different breeds. One Black Ostrolaup, one Rhode Island Red, one RIRmix with what appears to be a buckeye. One Buckeye, one Buff Orphington and the last that is a mix of what I was told a Dominique but it looks like a Buff Orphington and something??? Anyway - Love all of them to death and I have a question about the Black Ostrolaup and the Buckeye. Do chickens compete with each other on who can get on the fence and try and crow or act like a roo?