Confused... she...he?

[bigreyhorse]

For the past year I was pretty sure we had all hens, but now I'm confused. I ordered all female chicks from a hatchery and they all grew up fine, I was convinced they were all pullets as they got older. Now I have one RIR that has been harassing my other hens, and it is JUST like a rooster mating with a hen, but this is the most wimpy "rooster" I've ever seen. The tail is maybe a touch darker, but not much, not longer at all, the chicken is a little bigger. They just got done molting so he/she is hard to compare to everyone with their feathers still coming in the rest of the way. I'll get some pictures a little later, I can't get out to the coop at the moment.
They're 1 1/2 yr old now, what rooster characteristics would it have? I'd separate it from the flock and see if it lays but not everyone is laying after the molt so that could be one of the hens not laying.
Compared to the other RIRs the comb is larger and more red too.

 

[Camelot Farms]

At a year and a half you would know...lol

He would crow and crow and crow.

I am guessing that you just have a bossy hen!

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I have heard that sometimes if you don't have a rooster a hen will take over some of the characteristics of a roo!
I'm pretty sure that's what you've got, you would be able to tell the difference just by looking at the hens which one is a boy/girl by 2-3months, let alone 1 1/2yrs!

 

[bigreyhorse]

We're rooster-less so that is probably it.
I find it so interesting how chickens do stuff like that, why now all of a sudden? We had a few chickens die I wonder if that messed things up in the flock and made her higher on the roost and she assumed the role as rooster...

 

[Goose and Fig]

My Reds were always highest on the pecking order. When I sold all of them, and the roo, one of my Orps started crowing.
It can happen.

 

[19hhbelgian]

She is most likely a bossy hen, and has assumed the boss in charge role. She may not be laying if she has done this whether she's in molt or not. I had gotten a hen from a woman who had a bunch of roosters. We brought her home (had no roos at the time), and 2 days later she was literally trying to crow. It was the saddest thing you'd ever hear in your life! She did not lay for about 2 months (even when she stopped trying to crow), but then started laying, and was one of my best layers - 1 egg every day! She has stopped laying now, but she was around 2 when I got her (so I was told), so I guess she'll be intermittent from now on. SO, back to the post

... Give your girl time, she'll probably get back to "normal" again

 

[speckledhen]

There is always a head hen. Sometimes, you know exactly who that is and sometimes, it's harder to tell if there are two dominant ones. My first head hen was a RIR. When she died, a SLW her same age, took the top spot. She just died as well, so now, I'm not sure who the top lady is.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

We have no roosters. I have a production red/rir that is definitely a hen - I've seen her lay, but now, she sometimes mounts the other hens just like a rooster would. No crowing, but she stands right on top of them and acts like she's doing the deed.