Could It Be....No...Crowing?? @ 6 Days Old?

[speckledhen]

Picture this. My six day old black Ameraucana baby in the brooder suddenly stands still, at attention. It stretches its neck out and upward as far forward as it can, wings stretched back, looks upward and makes this odd, very loud, trilling cheep in its throat. I've never in all my chick-raising days seen anything like it out of a chick in the brooder. It does it several times a day. I kept describing it to my DH, who hadn't yet caught it in the act, and he says to me this afternoon, "Could it be trying to crow?" Huh?

It fits. It really does. I never saw a cockerel crow at six days old, but that certainly describes what its doing. I thought my Barred Rock cockerels crowing at four weeks was early and I haven't even decided what sex this baby was yet, but this is just the wildest and cutest thing I've ever seen! What do you think? Could it be crowing?
Actually, I hope not because I dont need another Ameraucana cockerel, but this may be the earliest I've been able to peg the sex of one of my chicks, except for the Barred Rocks.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Now that would be something to see and hear! Maybe you should set up a video camera? But then... that's a lot of disk space (or film) to use up for a chick crowing shot...

 

[hinkjc]

Cyn - definitely a possibility. I've had buff orps crow at 2 days on two different hatches. Rare, but it happens. I hatch a lot and never experienced it with my other breeds. Do you have any way to mark that baby, so you can see in a couple weeks if it is indeed a rooster or just a baby learning it has a voice. I've never marked mine, but I bet they were boys.

Jody

 

[helmstead]

Quote:
Bwhahah are you kidding!? She doesn't need to mark them - even in a huge hatch she knows them all individually! C'mon!

Cyn this is too funny! You must try to get a pic!

 

[speckledhen]

Kate, LOL! Actually, I do know them all, she's right. She knows me too well. That is the only Ameraucana in this small hatch so no need to mark it anyway. It's in with two Orpington babies, both larger than it is, and its the only one that has real wing feathers, too. I'll try to get a picture of the little tyke doing its thing. Wish my video camera worked but it was made in the dark ages and I'm not sure I even have a blank tape for it. I'll see what I can do to at least get a pic.

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, I got it! Well, while he was gearing up for it-Baby doing something scarily like crowing. Jody, ever sex an Ameraucana this early, LOL?? I sat by the brooder and the little critter just wouldnt do it; even acted like it was going to sleep. I step out and close the door and what do I hear? What sounds like a baby crow coming out of the brooder room! So I went back and I think the first pic caught him, as close as I can come with the shutter lag. Look at that stance in the second pic, too. Guess I may have a baby Scout on my hands here.

 

[hinkjc]

Sure looks like a little boy to me. LOL

Jody

 

[helmstead]

LOL LOL LOL

No! We have to say it's burly, aggressive little GIRL, remember?

(hens do crow sometimes...right?)

 

[hinkjc]

Ah..

Yup, sure..sometimes, right.

Remember, Cynthia breeds those "opposites" chickens. I'm going to say boy and it will turn out to be a girl.

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

Yep, maybe Slifer has come back in Ameraucana form, LOL! Yeah, right! I have two more chances in my bator on Day 12 today, but those are both Silver's, not Charlotte's. Crossing my fingers that at least one of those is a pullet! That little critter has been crowing his tiny head off today. DH finally saw him do it and cracked up. I said, "Tell me that chick isnt crowing." His answer? "I can't". Gee, I don't even get the illusion that I have a girl, even for a little while! His daddy didn't crow till 14 weeks and I sure wasn't expecting this. Guess he really started crowing yesterday at five days old because that's when I first heard it.