My 4 week chick is making "crowing" movements with her beak/head?

[Maxie1101]

I just checked on the girls and my favorite chick (a 4 week Americauna) was walking around the brooding pen opening her beak repeatedly as if she was crowing, but no sound was coming out. At first I was worried that something was stuck in her throat, but she was walking around normal except for constantly opening her beak. Aaack! Could she be a rooster? Isn't it too early to show rooster signs? So is something stuck in her throat? She is the most timid of the four chicks I have, so I would be very surprised if she was a rooster, but who knows? Any advice would be appreciated!

I just checked on her again, and she's sitting happy on her "training roost". So nothing is stuck in her throat now. I hope she's not a rooster!

 

[elmo]

Welcome to the forum!

Chicks frequently open their beaks and do something that looks sort of like yawning while stretching their necks. They're rearranging the food in their crops. In all likelihood, this is what your chick is doing.

Some of the little cockerels in the batch of chicks I raised this spring were already crowing at 4 weeks...actual, squeaky little crows. At that age, their combs had already developed noticeably more than their sisters. If your other chicks are the same age and breed as your Americauna, you can compare combs. If all remain alike (none get bigger or redder than the others), you probably don't have a cockerel.

The combs of pullets do get bigger and turn red when they get close to laying age, though.

 

[sheila3935]

also in my experience they will raise their neck puff out their chest and kinda bend slightly forward then SQWAK kinda screechy sound. and if they dont actually crow after they will flap their wings. Doesnt sound like she was trying to crow sounds like what Elmo said

 

[Happy Chooks]

If it's trying to crow, you'll see the chick standing tall and stretching it's neck out, then you'll see it straining to get the crow out.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

Well my favourite 2 were both roos. Does it go on the roost and do the stretching thing my little oegb did it at a couple week old before it had voice. I knew very young that I had a roo there.

 

[Maxie1101]

Thanks elmo and everyone else! I think you're right and she was just adjusting her crop. I have 2 Americaunas and they look identical and neither has a comb yet, so I think I'm pretty safe. Phew, I feel better now! These are my first chicks and it is just fascinating to watch them!

 

[gryeyes]

Yup, they're little piggies and they eat a lot at that age. Kinda like us loosening our belts or unsnapping our jeans, sort of.... Or maybe closer to trying to burp.