my youngest hen is growing up, trying to figure out what she is doing.

[snooptwomey]

My youngest hen, who is now approx 5 months (Ameraucauna) is acting diff towards my other 2 hens, they are approx 10 months old (Red sex links) she will charge at them with her head held real low now, and I cant tell if she is now trying to move up in the pecking order. She is now just a tad larger than my red heads and her legs are a signifigant bit thicker, so I was just thinking she was finally growing up and being a big girl and no longer wanted to be the bottom chicken. I have had the red heads for several months before I got her so she was the smallest, and at bottom of the pecking order. But they get along other than this happening every now and then.

 

[mcjessen]

Sounds like she's challenging the others. Just watch her to see what happens. I'd say it's completely normal.

 

[azygous]

It sounds to me like your "hen" is maturing into a cockerel. Does "she" also have a redder comb suddenly? Are there some vivid and colorful feathers emerging? Are the feathers on her back just in front of her tail very narrow and pointed?

These, along with the aggressive behavior and the thick legs points to a cockerel.

 

[Psalge]

I had the same problem

 

[snooptwomey]

Hmmm, well "she" doesnt have much of a comb yet, and it hasnt seemed to get any darker red, no wattles. and it doesnt appear that the feathers before her tail are narrow and pointed, but after the molt "she" just had, there are def some vivid colors that emerged(gold) and the feathers on her lower neck area and right before her tail are starting to get long(not sure if this is a breed thing) "she" is supposedly Ameraucana or easter egger by what I was told when I got "her".

 

[teach1rusl]

Maybe just double check her and post good pics of her under the "What breed/sex am I" section???

 

[BlazeJester]

It doesn't sound like a cockerel. It sounds like the exact behavior I've been watching for the past month with my pullets establishing a pecking order.

 

[aoxa]

It sounds like she is aching to get to the head of the pecking order

My girls did this. They would charge at one another and stop, hackles flared.

 

[azygous]

Do you have a rooster? I 've found that one way of determining if you have a cockerel or a pullet is to let the roo determine it. My roos will ignore a young cockerel while attempting to mount the pullet. Note: this only works if the youngsters in question have hormones already surging.

Among the colorful feathers, have you noticed any longish, greenish tail feathers? These would have to be visible in indirect light. Most dark tail feathers reflect green in direct sunlight.

Other than that, you'll find out in a few more weeks if you see an egg or hear an attempt at a crow.

 

[chickchicks]

it sounds like she is just letting off some steam my old girls do that to the newly added ones in the flock