9 CROWING HENS!!!!

[coach723]

Yes, you have a lot of cockerels. Different breeds mature differently, but those red combs are a giveaway (not to mention the crowing). There are also saddle and hackle feathers on some of them that say cockerel. I have had hens crow, but it's never as clear as a cockerels crow, and it is usually only for a short time or only very occasionally. And never more than one or two. They usually sound quite hoarse and choked. I suspect that all your crowing birds are cockerels. If you post individual pictures showing good side head shots, and full body from the side, you can get answers on particular ones.
The last picture posted, the front bird is a cockerel, I suspect the back left one (red/gold and grey) is too, back right is probably a pullet.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

those pics are hard to decifer, but there are lots of cockerels.

 

[Chicklet!]

In the third picture, the three birds in the center are all cockerels. The bantam cockerels are just developing more slowly than the leghorns which mature very early.

Would this explain why the flocks seems so high strung?

 

[sourland]

It might. Testosterone levels are surely rising.

 

[Chicklet!]

In the third picture, the three birds in the center are all cockerels. The bantam cockerels are just developing more slowly than the leghorns which mature very early.

Would this explain why the flocks seems so high strung?
And what’s interesting is the three birds that you are referring too have all started sitting in the nesting boxes making egg laying noises
I am so confused ‍‍

 

[Chicklet!]

Yes. Note the male specific pointed saddle and hackle feathers in addition to early comb development.[/QUOTE Hmmm. But they sit in the nesting boxes and make egg laying noises. Is this normal behavior for an under developed rooster or is it odd behavior for one? Lots of stupid questions but I am just dumbfounded about this development.

 

[RodNTN]

Sorry, but I do see many cockerels

 

[coach723]

I don't think your questions are stupid at all, we all have a learning curve that starts somewhere! They are all young, and still have a lot to figure out. They may be sitting in nest boxes because roosting space is at a premium. Young cockerels will group up until they are old enough to be territorial and drive the competition away (competing for hens). They may be sitting and calling hens/pullets to come in and see what they have found. There is a wide range of normal behaviors that make complete sense to them, but may not make sense to us. The best way to learn is to spend time watching them. If you have any hens/pullets in the mix, then things will 'go western' at some point and it may be sudden and ugly. If the group is only cockerels, then they may be able to live in peace. If you want to keep them then I suggest you make a separate bachelor pad for any cockerels that are not going to live with the hens. A good starting number for mixing is 10 hens to a rooster, that number is flexible depending on the birds themselves. Too many roo's or rough roo's can result in beat up and injured hens. If you are not going to be keeping them, then start planning now to rehome, or to put them in the freezer. Depending on where you got them, they were either straight run rather than sexed, so that usually means you end up with a fair amount of cockerels, or someone passed off their unwanted cockerels to you. Feed store chicks are notorious for getting mixed up in the bins.

 

[Chicklet!]

Yes, you have a lot of cockerels. Different breeds mature differently, but those red combs are a giveaway (not to mention the crowing). There are also saddle and hackle feathers on some of them that say cockerel. I have had hens crow, but it's never as clear as a cockerels crow, and it is usually only for a short time or only very occasionally. And never more than one or two. They usually sound quite hoarse and choked. I suspect that all your crowing birds are cockerels. If you post individual pictures showing good side head shots, and full body from the side, you can get answers on particular ones.
The last picture posted, the front bird is a cockerel, I suspect the back left one (red/gold and grey) is too, back right is probably a pullet.

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.

 

[R1V3R20NG]

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.