My hen is crowing

[aart]

That doesn't look like any CX I've ever seen. Not only is it small for a 3 month old CX, it looks to be fully feathered. CX don't put as much protein into growing feathers so they tend to look kind of ragged.

I'm wondering if maybe it's a Leghorn with a leg injury/deformity.

Was thinking some kind of deformity too.
It is an odd looking bird.....it's wing looks a bit wonky as well as the lack of breast muscle.

 

[MrsElliott]

That doesn't look like any CX I've ever seen. Not only is it small for a 3 month old CX, it looks to be fully feathered. CX don't put as much protein into growing feathers so they tend to look kind of ragged.

I'm wondering if maybe it's a Leghorn with a leg injury/deformity.

Why leg deformity? Bc of the waddle? He looks fully feathered, but his belly is bare and under his wings are still coming in. I know part of the belly thing is bc he's always sitting down, but there are still a lot of feathers that haven't come in, the big feathers are covering the bare spots. Like a chicken comb over lol
Leghorn was a thought i had, but he just grew SO FAST

 

[cmfarm]

I think he is just smaller because he is getting layer feed and not meat bird feed. It really doesn't look like a leghorn, too large bodied.

 

[lomine]

Was thinking some kind of deformity too.
It is an odd looking bird.....it's wing looks a bit wonky as well as the lack of breast muscle.

I butcher at 4 weeks and my CX have breasts about 4 times that size. They are like walking bowling balls.

Why leg deformity? Bc of the waddle? He looks fully feathered, but his belly is bare and under his wings are still coming in. I know part of the belly thing is bc he's always sitting down, but there are still a lot of feathers that haven't come in, the big feathers are covering the bare spots. Like a chicken comb over lol
Leghorn was a thought i had, but he just grew SO FAST

I say deformity because he doesn't look big enough to justify having trouble walking/standing. Whether he is a layer breed or a meat bird there is something not right with him. Whatever you decide you want to do with him I would not recommend hatching any chicks he sired, assuming he can even mate properly.

 

[MrsElliott]

I butcher at 4 weeks and my CX have breasts about 4 times that size. They are like walking bowling balls.


I say deformity because he doesn't look big enough to justify having trouble walking/standing. Whether he is a layer breed or a meat bird there is something not right with him. Whatever you decide you want to do with him I would not recommend hatching any chicks he sired, assuming he can even mate properly.

Gotcha. He is a big bird. About 10lbs. I mean, big in comparison to the others which are the same age. We aren't planning on hatching any chicks. For one, we weren't planning on getting a rooster at all, and two, we don't have the stuff we may need to raise them (assuming the hens don't sit or take care of the babies)
But the way y'all say how he's small or deformed lol...i'm thinking processing him isn't even a good idea. I'm at a loss. I guess just take care of him and see what happens

 

[NatJ]

Eating him would be fine.
Keeping him will probably be fine too, for however long he lives.
If you keep him, I would not bother separating him from the other chickens unless a problem actually happens. (Think ahead: if you've got a dog crate or a spare coop, you could remove him at once if he DOES get rough with the hens--but he probably won't be rough enough to cause trouble.)

Deformed: probably just how the photos are taken, and how he was standing at the time. And even a "small" cornish cross whose breast is "not big enough" is still a large chicken with a large breast. It's just that some others are even larger!

 

[I❤️ChickenMath]

Having Chickens is really a humbling experience and I think it requires a lot of perseverance.
This is our 2nd year with Chickens. Last year one of our hens started crowing. He is a Cochin named Pat (or Zoolander).
It was pretty devastating last year (to me) as he started to molest my hens. He has calmed down tho. But - this year he has started to get a little “cocky” about his place in the happy home hierarchy. He has run into me twice when I walked between him and his girls. First time he actually spurred me.
I love my girls, and appreciate that Pat watches out for them as the free range during the day (2 acres). But - I refuse to be chicken of a chicken. Pat may be leaving soon, and I am not convinced that we need a rooster...

 

[Folly's place]

Human aggressive roosters aren't worth having, IMO. there are so many polite cockerels and cock birds who never have a bad thought towards humans!
Pat will be wonderful in your crock pot, or someone else's.
You will get lots of advice helping to 'reform' him, and maybe you'll try some things, and it would be nice if something works. Don't feel bad if his little brain doesn't get the message!
Mary

 

[I❤️ChickenMath]

Human aggressive roosters aren't worth having, IMO. there are so many polite cockerels and cock birds who never have a bad thought towards humans!
Pat will be wonderful in your crock pot, or someone else's.
You will get lots of advice helping to 'reform' him, and maybe you'll try some things, and it would be nice if something works. Don't feel bad if his little brain doesn't get the message!
Mary

Another question.. (remember I am a novice...). We spent a lot of time last year “socializing” our young chickens (including Pat). He is a Cochin. Our female Cochin is the best - very docile and I have read that it is typical for breed - I assumed this would apply to Pat as well. Is he just a hoodlum, and another Male Cochin might be polite, or is there a preferred breed for non-attack roosters?

 

[NatJ]

or is there a preferred breed for non-attack roosters?

Not really. Some breeds seem more likely to have nice roosters (any thread about roosters will have people listing their favorites--cochins are often mentioned as good.)
One way to get a nice rooster, is to wait until someone's giving one away--the one that doesn't fit their breeding program but was too nice to butcher.
Another way is to get a bunch of cockerels, and each time one behaves badly, butcher him. Eventually, you will have either a well-behaved rooster, or no rooster
My advice to butcher unsuitable ones is based on liking to eat chicken; other people will have different preferences there.