Do female chicks silent crow?

[Frza]

Hello, newbie here with a question about one of my new chicks. It is a 7 week old Barred Plymouth Rock. I just moved my birds outside to their new coop and noticed this one has a new behavior. She opens her beak very wide and looks like she is trying to crow but no sounds comes out. I am concerned that our 'she' might actually be a 'he'. Is this something only a rooster would do or could it be she is seraching for her 'big bird voice'. So far the brids are all still peeping, no big chicken noises yet. Thank you!

 

[Shifty Joe]

Barred Rocks are easier to sex once they get around that age. The pullets will be very dark while the cockerels are much lighter. So if your silent crower is visually lighter than the rest... well, you either have a life time supply of free eggs to hatch or a very tasty soup.

 

[Frza]

well, my other birds are different breeds so I don't relly have anyone to compare her to. She is looking very much like what I expected a BPR to look like, very 'spotty'. Her comb is developing much faster than the rest of the flock. It really just the silent crowing behavior that is concerning me. I thought she was choking the first time I saw it happen!

 

[lemurchaser]

I know what you're talking about, my girls do that too. It's not a rooster behavior, just a chicken behavior. Now if they start crowing, then start worrying.

 

[HappyTalons]

My girls have been doing that for a while now also. I think it's just a stretching maneuver.
At first I thought the same as you, but then they ALL started doing it.

 

[Illia]

Are you sure it isn't just trilling? Chicks will make a trilling sound, similar to a mock-crow, and all it means is that something went by that the chick isn't sure about. It usually is a warning of something flying by.

 

[ChIck3n]

Yep, it's basically like chicken yawning. They might do it just to stretch, or to get something unstuck from their throat. If it happens a lot (few times per minute), you may want to check that she is not rasping or having trouble breathing, which might mean some sort of respiratory problem. If she was trying to crow, you would certainly be hearing it!

 

[Frza]

Yay! thank you so much! Just this simple reassurance is making me feel so much better. I have already gotten very attached to 'Winnie' and would hate to have to re-home her. I live in Portland, no rooster allowed!

 

[lemurchaser]

Quote:
Well then,

there are quite a few oregonians on here.

Roosters actually sell pretty well on craigslist, if you ever do end up with a boy.

 

[Mon-12]

My 5-week Dominique started doing what seems a silent crow. She was supposedly sexed as a pullet. I am reading from the other comments that this could be common in pullets sometimes? I am new to raising chickens and I do not have other Dominiques to compare to. Do you think this is a pullet? The comb also started getting reddish a few days ago.