Hen is now a rooster?

[Roger Fontaine]

My 8-year-old Australorp crows. She has been a wonderful layer for years (and still lays)! She is the boss of the flock, and top of the pecking order. She crows loudly in the morning, just like a rooster, and causes our dog to start barking. Every now and then she will crow during the day or before roost. We can't have roos either. -just waiting for the city to show up about "our rooster", and try to explain that "he" is a "she".

This describes my situation as well although she is a Buff Orp. Interestingly she is not the boss, the Silverlace is. I'm going to play this out for a little longer. As noted in my other reply, closing them in at night seems to be working and fortunately no day crowing yet.

 

[ChandyRae02]

I'm having the same problem with my Easter Egger! I've had her for 2.5 years, she used to lay me beautiful green eggs (definitely her, I've seen her do it and she's my only EE in a flock of just 5). Last fall she stopped to molt, and never started laying again. About a month ago she started crowing in the mornings, now this week she is doing it throughout the day. I have no roo, but she is far from the top of the flock - second from last, actually. The neighbors have been stopping me to ask if I have chickens - after all this time they had no idea! So obviously they've noticed. There is no rule against roosters here thankfully, but it does seem rude in a neighborhood. I'm allergic to soy so I've always fed them soy-free layer feed... now I wonder if I started to give them the cheap stuff, if it would have an estrogenic effect like it does for people and reverse her!