My Speckled Sussex hen CROWING?!

[Anna-MN]

Mitzie is about a year and a half old. I went out to the coop this morning and heard a rather strange noise from one of my hens. I looked over at her and she looked like she was trying to crow. Here is a video of what I'm trying to describe....

Sorry for the poor quality, it's a cellphone video. Is she really trying to crow or is there something else going on that I am completely missing?

 

[Bunnylady]

Some hens crow. Usually it is a dominant hen, and it seems a little more common in flocks without roosters. I had a Serama hen that started crowing when I had her in the house raising some chicks that she had just hatched. Totally freaked me out the first time I heard her!

If you are sure your hen is still laying eggs, she may be one of this rather odd sisterhood. There is one, even odder, possibility, too. Sometimes, something goes wrong with a hen's ovary. The bird will then take on the characteristics of a rooster, including the behavior, though I hear that birds that have done this apparent sex-change are sterile. Weird, huh?