20-week-old pullet...started crowing...Looks nothing like a roo! Help

[chicksurreal]

I'm sorry. What breed did you say this was? Stained glass meets burning Phoenix? She is GORGEOUS! I have a supposedly Maran/Ameraucana and she is getting the pink and green iridescence on her feathers, but Inhad no idea a female could be so extravagantly colored. I'd be taking pictures of this one all day! Wow.

X2 Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[lilbeastpdx]

Chicksurreal,

You are my favorite person on this thread at the moment. thank you for that note about your crowing pullet. I'm encouraged that you say it was, indeed, a crow but that she is a hen. Did you happen to hear my bird's crow in the video links I posted? Just curious if you thought it was similar. Woo hoo!

 

[chicksurreal]

Chicksurreal,

You are my favorite person on this thread at the moment.

thank you for that note about your crowing pullet. I'm encouraged that you say it was, indeed, a crow but that she is a hen. Did you happen to hear my bird's crow in the video links I posted? Just curious if you thought it was similar. Woo hoo!

Unfortunately I have a terribly slow connection to the internet and videos take forever to load, so I didn't watch, I will when I go to town and can have access to faster internet service. Lol!

My girl definitely crows, but there is no finesse there, it's more of a one or two note crow if that makes any sense. Loud for sure, but nothing like my older roos who hit 5 or six notes in their crowing.

 

[lilbeastpdx]

Ha! No problem.

Mine was not a full cockadoodle doo. It was two or three notes repeated. Quite convincing. But I did get rid of the other crowing rooster and she has stopped completely the last two days. Bizarre.

 

[lilbeastpdx]

When pullets get close to laying age they often make some strange noises. Some will start honking or cooing. My Polish sound like they're crying! I wouldn't worry, her coloration and comb size both indicate pullet

Rhodebar Lover...I am glad I just re-read this. My 12/13-week-old australorp started honking yesterday. I know she's too young to lay yet, but I had never heard a chicken do THAT before. Cracked me up...she almost sounded like a duck!

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Rhodebar Lover...I am glad I just re-read this. My 12/13-week-old australorp started honking yesterday. I know she's too young to lay yet, but I had never heard a chicken do THAT before. Cracked me up...she almost sounded like a duck!

I have a honking Australorp too! Maybe it's a breed thing

 

[lilbeastpdx]

UPDATE:

So this bird has only crowed once in the last two weeks...a bit odd I think. It's now 22 weeks old. I'd imagine a rooster would not stop crowing once it's learned how to do it so well. Also, it seems to be spending time in the nesting boxes.

And, according to the finger test that I've read about, its pelvic bones are almost three fingers wide now. I'm still not seeing any hackle feathers or saddle feathers--everything is nice and rounded in that department. Tail feathers are up, but that is the norm for this one it appears, as well as for a lot of EE's. And I guess that the bird is a mix of EE and bantee? It is smaller now than my 3-month-old girls (a SLW and a Black Australorp)! I am expecting small eggs (if it does lay).

So, either it's a weird pullet about to lay, or it is a weird rooster that doesn't like to crow. So I wait. The bird just seems to enjoy being coy.

It appears to be miffed when I took pictures of its rear end, but hey, I reserve that right.

Here are updated pics:

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

UPDATE:

So this bird has only crowed once in the last two weeks...a bit odd I think. It's now 22 weeks old. I'd imagine a rooster would not stop crowing once it's learned how to do it so well. Also, it seems to be spending time in the nesting boxes.

And, according to the finger test that I've read about, its pelvic bones are almost three fingers wide now. I'm still not seeing any hackle feathers or saddle feathers--everything is nice and rounded in that department. Tail feathers are up, but that is the norm for this one it appears, as well as for a lot of EE's. And I guess that the bird is a mix of EE and bantee? It is smaller now than my 3-month-old girls (a SLW and a Black Australorp)! I am expecting small eggs (if it does lay).

So, either it's a weird pullet about to lay, or it is a weird rooster that doesn't like to crow. So I wait. The bird just seems to enjoy being coy.

It appears to be miffed when I took pictures of its rear end, but hey, I reserve that right.

Here are updated pics:

It sure looks like a pullet to me

 

[lilbeastpdx]

It sure looks like a pullet to me

I think so too, Rhodebar Lover. Kinda crazy, no? I believe this one should lay olive colored eggs if she lays (the red cochin would lay beige eggs, no?). So if I find an olive colored egg I can assume she is, indeed, a crowing pullet.

A very talented pullet.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

I don't know if this helps much, but growing up my family raised about 40+ Ameracaunas, and I recall at least two hens that would mimic the roosters for some reason! And I know for a fact these weren't just late-blooming roosters- they were laying eggs, haha! As many chickens as we have all had over the years, like I said, it was a rare thing I recall happening only twice. This is just my personal "story"