EExBO cross 10 Weeks Mates w 1 hen no crow BOY? Edited to incl. PICS

[bantyshanty]

I have had a "pullet" for five weeks, who is a 10 week old EE/Buff Orpington cross. She looks like a pullet, with a tiny comb, and chirps like a chick still. Recently, she has been moved from the brooder room to the run, and so has a broody hen who weaned her chicks. The hen is a D'Anver and is smaller than the Buff Orp . The Buff Orp seemed to want to dominate the D'ANver from the moment they left the brooder room.. They were in different pens not touching.
The Buff Orp has a pleading chick cheep, and has never tried to strut or practiced a crow, and is not pecked at by the roosters in the run.
Today I saw my 8 week buff orp tread this Belgian D'Anver twice, in a very deft way that cockerels seem to take months to perfect. She didn't fall off, and she completed her act, including the cloacal "kiss", like a professional rooster. Her chest and back feathers are rounded, but her wing feathers are pointed, and she has a short stocky body with a stumpy tail. She is shaped female and acts female, and chick-like, apart from the mating.. Several roos are in the run, along with 25 hens.
I've edited to include pics. She has thick legs as well. Definitely never crows, and has never sparred with a cockerel.
Feathers are rounded all over except wing feathers, which are somewhat pointy, but not sharply pointy. Neck feathers are rounded as well. Pea comb has slightly raised row in center. Comb is pink, not red.

 

[MommaOrp]

Strange.......... sorry i can't help but might get your post noticed!!!

 

[bantyshanty]

Thanks, no one has noticed or wanted to respond, I guess, but I've realized she is female and just showing dominance. She's all done with that now and the poor little (2 yr old) hen just runs away in fright whenever she sees the big (8 wk old) Buff Orpinton bully chick

 

[CrazyChickensEverwhere]

Hmmmm I would like to see a pic. 2 reasons


1.) hens don't mate other hens if there is a rooster around(I have only heard of hens mating other hens is when shes trying to fill the place if there isnt a rooster in the flock)
2.) Thats really early to start mating


lol.

 

[Tala]

I've had TWO EE mutt cockerels "hide" their gender for a good long while. One was in the pullet's pen for several weeks until I picked him up and he was twice as heavy as the girls --- I put him in the bachelor pad that night! lol The second one was also very late to crow and didn't get much of a comb, compared to his brother who had a big comb and has been crowing for weeks. I thought he was a she until one day "she" sprouted rooster tail feathers, and only after that did he start to try to crow. He's also in a bachelor pad now. I know, they don't wanna get taken away from the girls so they hide it as long as possible! The fact that yours is also an EE mix could mean something.

I had one little boy that started mating VERY early, but he had an obvious roo comb from like 2 weeks of age - I always thought his hormones were in hyper-drive.

 

[poseygrace]

Wow, that is strange. Post a pic of he/she/it... mystery mater!

 

[Afterburner]

I had a Deleware cockeral masquerading as a hen for nearly three months. During his short time in my suburban flock, he did the egg squat, sang a rough sounding egg song and even pretended to make a next. He did this all up to the days he began crowing, growing out his spurs, blooming his green tipped feathers and trying to mate with my 8 week old EE. Just saying, the cocks can be very convincing as hens sometimes. Oh if you are wondering, I was new a new chicken owner and could not spot the difference between between a rooster tale and one of a hen. Heck, I also missed my other rooster around teh same time; a barred rock.

 

[cmom]

I have seen this behavior in my flock . It is a dominance issue. One bird showing another bird who is queen of the flock.

 

[MommaOrp]

LOL i love it, mystery treading hen needs a power suit

They can be funny creatures sometimes!