Need help identifying a chicken/rooster

[dorothy1]

Sorry to bug ya'll, but I had this pretty guy show up in my yard a couple months ago...from my research, I'm thinking it's a Catalana ...any input would be welcome

 

[donrae]

It's a hen.

All I can say is it has some game type hen in her. The comb is a little funky, so there may be a mix there somewhere. And that very low wingset is throwing me a little. I'll be interested to see what others say.

 

[CowGrrrl]

Hen, I think game mix.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Hen.

 

[dorothy1]

It 'cock-a-doodle do's....(but not till around 8:30 am and not every morning...guessing lazy) Is this still a hen

? Also, we've watched it fly 30-40 ft up into a tree to roost for the night....one website I was at said roosters can't fly...

 

[dorothy1]

also, I'm in South Carolina

 

[Wyandottes7]

It looks like a game bird mix to me. In response to your other questions, I believe it to be a hen. I don't see any shiny, long hackles or saddle feathers, nor any shiny sickle feathers, or a roosterish stance. It might be crowing because it is dominant, or maybe you aren't hearing crowing, only cackling? And, roosters can fly, if they are not too big.

 

[dorothy1]

Definitely crowing! Extends his/her neck.....usually does this when another rooster somewhere in the area does it first. He/she clucks when it wants its morning bread. He/she puffs up to shake and it's hackle feathers (if I'm understanding what they are) puff out as well....I'm under the understanding that hackle feathers are the neck feathers. When it puffs up and shakes, it appears to be 2 separate feather coats (body and neck). Could this be a young boy? He/she is very shiny in the sun. All my pics are in dense brush shade and cloudy sky.

 

[BantamLover21]

Definitely crowing! Extends his/her neck.....usually does this when another rooster somewhere in the area does it first. He/she clucks when it wants its morning bread. He/she puffs up to shake and it's hackle feathers (if I'm understanding what they are) puff out as well....I'm under the understanding that hackle feathers are the neck feathers. When it puffs up and shakes, it appears to be 2 separate feather coats (body and neck). Could this be a young boy? He/she is very shiny in the sun. All my pics are in dense brush shade and cloudy sky.

That is really odd.

She's definitely a Game bird mix hen, as she has no pointed saddle, tail, or hackle feathers. Also, her coloring is typical of a female wheaten bird. Looks like you have a crowing hen! Most of the time crowing hens are older, so your bird could be several years old. If you can catch her and isolate her, you could see if she lays eggs.

 

[donrae]

That bird is 100% female, that color won't be in a male bird. This is apparently one of the older hens who crow, that make folks thing their 4 month old crowing bird is a hen. She has a pretty respectable set of spurs, also. Seems to me like I hear of game hens crowing a fair amount, I wonder if the breed just has a propensity to a hormonal imbalance, or they're just a more aggressive type and the hens tend to take on the dominant role more than run of the mill hatchery hens.