9 CROWING HENS!!!!

[coach723]

Yes the ones in question do not sound like a roosters crow it sounds gurgled. And they sit in the nesting boxes and make egg laying noises as well. I know that my RIR that I had in washington all had a defined red comb that popped up much later in development than the rooster. My RIR roosters were very well defined by 16 weeks. I am not familiar with the breeds that I have. And while I am constantly researching them I am in uncharted territory with them.

Yes every breed is a little different, and some are hard to tell until they are older. I've been fooled early on more than once. Worst case scenario, you wait until you are sure. The signs will continue to grow as they do. Just have a plan for those in case you don't want that many cockerels. Young cockerels will sound dorky crowing until they figure it out, hens kind of always sound dorky, at least mine have.

That picture of 3 you all are saying contains only cockerels, I think that there is a pullet, its the one farthest to the right out of those three.

I also said I suspect that one may be a pullet, but the picture isn't good enough to be sure. Time will tell!

 

[Chicklet!]

We got them from the farm store here in our home town. We are VERY disappointed with the number of cockerels that we recieved. We will be separating then rest of the Roos until they are big enough to stuff the freezer. In the mean time the leg horns have established themselves with the hens and the hens follow one in particular. That leaves the one roo with only 4 hens. Will the hens be alright or should I invest in finding more hens for the one roo? I want eggs and chicks so I want to make sure my hens will be ok. Thanks for everyone’s help with this. The flocks behavior is starting to make a lot of sense.

 

[Chicklet!]

Yes every breed is a little different, and some are hard to tell until they are older. I've been fooled early on more than once. Worst case scenario, you wait until you are sure. The signs will continue to grow as they do. Just have a plan for those in case you don't want that many cockerels. Young cockerels will sound dorky crowing until they figure it out, hens kind of always sound dorky, at least mine have.


I also said I suspect that one may be a pullet, but the picture isn't good enough to be sure. Time will tell!

Pullet?

 

[coach723]

Pullet is a hen that is less than a year old, if that is what you are asking.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

By 16 weeks, this is what we're all talking about:

 

[Chicklet!]

Pullet is a hen that is less than a year old, if that is what you are asking.

Maybe. Why call them pullet vs hen. Is hen referring to a female chicken older than a year?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Maybe. Why call them pullet vs hen. Is hen referring to a female chicken older than a year?

Yes... Same as cockerel being a young male until a year old when they become roosters.

 

[coach723]

It's just a long standing distinction, not sure where it started. But often it can help when diagnosing something as some issues are more likely to show up in a mature hen as opposed to a young pullet, etc. Same as referring to a puppy or a kitten as opposed to a dog or a cat, kid instead of goat, calf instead of cow or bull, and so on.

 

[Sylie]

That picture of 3 you all are saying contains only cockerels, I think that there is a pullet, its the one farthest to the right out of those three.

I was thinking the exact same thing, 2 cockerels, one pullet in that pic

 

[Birdsong 82]

I would have to agree. I could tell the two white ones where the roosters you were talking about but three of the young ones kind of have a rooster look to me. I had a hen wants that would try to crow. It was the oddest sounding thing I had ever herd. I’ve heard if there is no rooster sometimes a hen At top of the pecking order will crow though doesn’t happen too often but not all hens. Never heard of that But like my mother always told me when I was young anything is possible