Advice would be really helpful. Chickens died, last one has suddenly decided shes a rooster.

[doublehead]

So here is my story. First time chicken owner, wanted my little girl to understand that our food is also our friend.

Loved my chickens, sweet hand-raised girls. All of them friendly. 1 straight up affectionate always, the other 2 sometimes.

Well, 6 years in, 3 weeks ago one of them suddenly looked bad. I inspected her and her laying orifice was infested with worms going crazy. She looked terrible. I tried to clean her up, but it was a bloody mess and she died fairly quickly. So sad.

So I cleaned the coup super well.
1 week later chicken #2 got lethargic. Dropped dead in a day. Grrrr. So sad.

So, last chicken, I went to the feed store and got worming pellets, and mite/pest powder and treated her carfuly. Cleaned the coup again.

She seems great! Fattening up with all the food being hers and the grass.

But she used to sing really sweetly. Now shes horking out Rooster crows from hell.

Should I be worried? Anything pre-emptive I can do other then apple cider vinegar?

Could this just be behavioral?

Thanks so much for the advice!
-Shaun

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry about your chickens.

You said 6 years in. 6 years is an old age for layers, so it could have been related to that. Broken eggs, Water Belly, or egg binding.

About your hen crowing. That is strange. I've had a hen that crowed once or twice, but that is weird that it would start after she lost her companions and not just be because it was an aggressive breed. (My hen that crowd had a really aggressive father, so she got some of those genes).

I hope she does well!

 

[doublehead]

Well, its official. Shes gone full rooster. She climbs up on perches, assumes rooster positions and crows loud as possible at 6:30 7am now. Ugh. Silly girl.

 

[GitaBooks]

I've heard that hens, as they get older, especially without a rooster around, assume the roosters position and start crowing and looking like a rooster.