Female egg laying bird started crowing this morning

[SarahLadd]

Hey what's up y'all,

My year old barbu d'anvers hen Aura decided today that she identifies as a rooster and would like the neighborhood to know. Why is this happening, and will it continue?

 

[Battlepants]

I've heard two theories on this one:
-She is the head of a roosterless flock and is just taking on the role of the rooster.
-She has suffered some reproductive damage and is effectively becoming something of a false-rooster. She may lay less or not at all, may even attempt to mate, however by lacking the physical requirements to father offspring, this mating will be unfruitful.

As for breaking this behavior, I would start by removing her from the flock for a day or so and then reintroducing her. This should knock her down the pecking order by making her the newcomer again. This may be just about enough to stop her from taking on the rooster role.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thread 'Little Hen Crows' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/little-hen-crows.1499977/
My OEGB hen crows too. She seems fine and continues to lay normally so I just enjoy the most adorable song (although it's not an egg song but it is music to my ears) she sings

 

[SarahLadd]

I've heard two theories on this one:
-She is the head of a roosterless flock and is just taking on the role of the rooster.
-She has suffered some reproductive damage and is effectively becoming something of a false-rooster. She may lay less or not at all, may even attempt to mate, however by lacking the physical requirements to father offspring, this mating will be unfruitful.

As for breaking this behavior, I would start by removing her from the flock for a day or so and then reintroducing her. This should knock her down the pecking order by making her the newcomer again. This may be just about enough to stop her from taking on the rooster role.

I have two cockerels, trying to pare down to one. I have caught an egg falling from her butt before. My cockerels attempt to mate her and she submissive squats, although the cocks are too small and young right now to do the deed. She also might possibly be the lowest on the pecking order. She is definitely not the head hen, that's my red millefleur hen.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I should add that my OEGB hen is the head hen and I have many roosters, but none that stay in their coop and run. I don't think she's crowed when the other hens are with her. She usually does it when she's alone or with one other hen while they're waiting on the others. I've had a few young pullets to crow but that's not extremely uncommon and has nothing to do with your concern. I love to hear hens crow because it's so adorable but I understand this isn't the case for everyone. I hope you find a way to keep everyone happy

 

[SarahLadd]

I should add that my OEGB hen is the head hen and I have many roosters, but none that stay in their coop and run. I don't think she's crowed when the other hens are with her. She usually does it when she's alone or with one other hen while they're waiting on the others. I've had a few young pullets to crow but that's not extremely uncommon and has nothing to do with your concern. I love to hear hens crow because it's so adorable but I understand this isn't the case for everyone. I hope you find a way to keep everyone happy

She can't hit those high notes. If I wasn't sitting outside with them in the yard sipping my morning coffee, I wouldn't know it happened at all. I ran inside to grab my phone to take a video and hoped she'd still be doing it when I came back. I watched her crow through the window and heard nothing in the house. Which is different with my boys, I can hear them with the windows shut. So it's not like she's being loud... She's just being weird?!?!

 

[Caw]

My OEGB mix hen will crow outside my windows every once in a while when her requests for feed aren’t being responded to fast enough.