I thought I was hearing things... a crowing hen?

[Desert Peep]

Yep, my little lady Allison crows like a sailor. Every morning at the crack of dawn, and at other times during the day too. It has become louder and more frequent. Is there any way to make her stop or at least crow less? I've been squirting her with water from a squirt bottle when I see her stretch her neck, but 5 AM is too early to be out and about trying to quiet down a chicken. She is definitely the "top" hen of the five; chesting up and grabbing the others on the back of the neck at times. Been that way since she was just a little fuzz ball. She's a Barred Rock and about 9 weeks old. I read that if there is no rooster in the flock, the dominant hen will take on some of the roles of a rooster. Any suggestions to quiet down my chatty girl? Thanks.

 

[gritsar]

Are you positive she's a she? Sounds like typical rooster behavior to me. I don't think crowing hens are as common as some folks make em out to be. Just MHO.

 

[Neilette]

Hi!

I have a crowing BR pullet as well! She just started a couple weeks ago, just after I noticed that she climbed to the top of the pecking order. I have been trying treating her like a 'bad rooster' -- chasing her around the yard and carrying her under my arm in order to "establish my rank at the top of the pecking order". She has also been sick with a [suspected] second bout of of coccidiosis. I don't know if it's the 'feeling better' or 'feeling worse' or if my 'treatment' has had any effect, but the crowing seems less and her face, once bright red, is becoming more normally pink.

I'm also looking into rehoming her to a flock with some full-fledged roosters.

You might look into the same.

For the record, do you have a picture? Barred Plymouth Rocks' barring is sex-linked, but are you absolutely sure she's colored like a 'she' with two black bars and one white bar?

 

[Desert Peep]

Well, she is supposed to be a "she", but maybe a roo. I will try to upload some photos. Also thanks for the info on the coloring. I will go and check out her feathers tomorrow. I'm a newbie, so maybe it is a roo.

 

[Happy Chooks]

If "she" looks like this in coloring, then you have a rooster.

If "she" looks like this in coloring, you have a pullet.

My bet is you have a boy.

 

[LarryPQ]

COme see us in the AZ thread!

 

[Bucky182]

My Grandmother who raised hundreds of chickens (She is now passed on) us to say "A crowing hen and a whistling women always come to some bad end". Some a very few would crow, I guess a hormonal thing just like some wild turkey's hens have beards. My grandmother a true superstiious women always butched the crowing hens. I guess that was there "Bad end" and I guess in her day a whistling women was not considered very lady like. LOL

 

[BAMA]

I read somewhere that if there is NO rooster the dominate hen can start to crow.... I've never seen one do this though. Can you post a photo?

 

[Alleychick]

One of my girls, who is the leader of the "pack" crows all the time. She tells me when the other girls laid an egg and she tells the girls when to go in at nite. I used to think it was kinda neat, now i wanna muzzle her.

 

[dutchhollow]

"whistling girls and crowing hens will never come to any good ends" I was told this by my grandmother everytime she heard me whistleing!