My 16 week old hen is crowing like a rooster - help!

[Topchick]

Hi Everyone from Sacramento, CA!I started my first flock in early May with 4 young pullets and last week my dominant hen - an Astrolorp - started crowing like a rooster! This is becoming a big problem as I live in an urban setting and have a condominium complex behind me. Neighbors in houses on either side of me are ok with the new noise, however there are multiple people in the condos behind me whom I do not know, and this morning at 8:30 when my hen started crowing, I heard 3 women from the condos talking about the noise over the fence, wwondering where it was coming from and saying the noise was very loud. The local chicken ordinance allows for hens but not roosters, I am guessing due to the noise issue with roosters. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any ideas on how to keep a hen from crowing? I am quite certain that she is female as her appearance exactly matches the images I have seen of a female Astrolorp, and does not resemble the male pictures. I want to be a good neighbor, but would be sad to have to find a new home for my girl!

 

[nurse_turtle]

I'm thinking your hen is a rooster. Once you make 10 posts, you can post pictures, or you can post the link to view pictures at a hosting site like Flicker, etc. Where did you get your chickens? Even sexed form the hatchery is only 90% accurate.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

I hope you get that hen/roo sorted so you don't have to get rid of her!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Be it a hen or a roo there is no way to stop the crowing. At 16 weeks old you won't yet be seeing full male adult plumage, it takes a while for the hackle and saddle feathers, even for the sickle tail feathers to come in. Roo's at that age have very hen-like feathering still. Unless this bird has laid an egg I would bet it's a roo.

I'm not saying hens never crow, a few do so it's not impossible, but either way it's not likely to stop.

 

[Kevin565]

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard.

 

[liz9910]

Hi,

Elizabeth

 

[brahmakid11]

 

[Topchick]

Viewing the posts here I became convinced that I did indeed have a rooster and not a hen. And he was crowing again at 6 a.m.! I posted an ad on Craigslist yesterday and found him a news home today on a farm with a dozen hens. I was sad to see him go, but happy he found a nice new place. My husband is quite relieved as the crowing was both annoying him and stressing him out. Thanks for the input.