Crowing hen

[Hollywood Chickens]

My favorite Black Andalusian hen started crowing, I know that she is a hen because she lays eggs.

She is almost a year old and 3 days ago she stopped laying eggs and has started a pathetic crow, several times a day.

I cannot have roosters here because of crowing, but I remember reading on BYC that it was a deficiency of some kind but I can't find it!

Thank you!

 

[crazygoatlady915]

So, I take it that you do not have a rooster in your flock then. I have never experienced this first-hand, but sometimes, a hen will stop laying eggs, and take the position of a roo. Except i have never heard that they crow too...

 

[cobrien]

I have had several hens that crow. What an awful sound - half yell, half poorly formed cockadoodledoo. They have never done it as nearly as frequently as a rooster - usually a few times in the morning and that's it. it's never been enough to annoy my neighbors. Mine have never stopped laying, though. The crowing habit seems to come and go - they do it for a week to a month, then stop, then it might come back. I've only had one crowing hen at a time, it is always the top hen, and it seems to make sense that they are taking on part of the role of the rooster because I don't have one I have never heard that it was related to a deficiency. I have heard of 'transgendered' hens that crow, stop laying, and that develop male characteristics (permanently, I think) - big comb and tail but I think this is much more rare than your fairly common crowing hen.

I think odds are that your hen will crow occasionally (nothing like a rooster), may stop crowing entirely, and resume laying....i hope that's what happens!

 

[Sorin]

Quote:
Excellent explanation! I know it's not funny for you, but I have to laugh every time I hear about this. A hen crowing is just not right!

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Quote:
I hope so, she didn't crow today. She is not the dominate hen and is not part of the pecking order at all, she just keeps to her self and the others leave her alone. She has only been doing it for a few days, so maybe she was just taking a break from laying!

 

[jaketheeggman]

I have a hen that does that too

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

I don't know if the epsom salt in the water had anything to do with it, but she has not crowed in 3 days and started laying eggs again!