Need help with mystery crower - Buff Orpington or Black Australorp

[horsecrazychicklovingkid]

Yes, i do believe that you have a hen crow. Crowing is like a declaration of territory and so if the roo can declare that this is his territory then one of then hens will crow to declare to any other chickens in the neighborhood that this is their territory.

 

[horsecrazychicklovingkid]

The other day when i was checking for eggs in my coops and i was walking back slowly and i heard a noise and turned around and it was my ameraucana roo just following me. As soon as I saw him he ran away. He doesn't seem to want anything he he just follows me around the yard whenever i am out there. he isn't extremely sociable although I hatched him in winter and he lived in a clear brooder box in my room for a few months. i call him EB short for eager beaver because when he was a chick he figured out how jump out of the box. Overall I have found roos to be more friendly and sociable than hens, save 2 hens i had. my roos usually make more of a fuss when you pick them up. i had an aruacana that every time I held him he would sit and make that niose chickens do if they are all by themselves and can't see or hear anyother chickens. Everyone in the house could hear he him.

 

[swmalone]

No crowing again this morning, but I found my first hard shelled egg last night. I think it is from the black sex link, but I'm not positive. it is a tiny brown speckled thing. As for behavior my buff orpington and sex link have always been the runs to come up and see what is happening. None of my chickens like being held, but if I let them out into the yard while I'm out there the orpington and the sex link are the ones that come see what I'm doing. My wife said she might cry if we have to get rid of the orpington because that is her favorite because it has so much personality.

Here is a picture of our egg from last night.

 

[BookWorm243]

Congrats on the egg! I really believe your Orpington is a pullet, that's a pullet all the way!!

It could of just been a pullet trying the whole crowing thing out. We had a hen that was a inside pet, she crowed every time we walked by her and didn't give her attention. Hens can actually grow spurs, just a thought. I would love to learn how this turns out

 

[DanEP]

Your buffs a girl I have 13 of them and all but 4 of them have combs like that, besides at 16 weeks you would know for sure if you had a roo he'd be a lot bigger than the other girls and probably at least thinking about mating. I had a buff roo and at 16 week the tail would be longer and the waddles should be a lot bigger than yours. All you have to do is wait for the eggs.

 

[swmalone]

It is so hard to wait for the eggs. So far I have one laying, pretty sure it is the sex link, and I have only received one egg that is edible in the last 5 days. I haven't heard any crowing since last Sunday, so I'm hoping that is a good sign. I will keep updates coming as I hear more crowing or come across more eggs.

 

[ChickenLove123]

Checking in to see what the updates were.

Good luck -- I am sure you have three hens.

 

[swmalone]

Well no more crowing. Still only one laying it seems. I am starting to get an egg every day or every other day. They are all 17 weeks old now.

 

[swmalone]

So I haven't had any recent crowing and I'm getting a pretty consistent supply of tasty eggs from my black sex link. Still nothing from the austalorp or the buff orpington. They will be 18 weeks old this Friday.

 

[swmalone]

So I have an update. It looks like I have at least two females, I found a small weird shaped egg in the run later this morning. It was either from my australorp or orpington. I think it is from the orpington because she was in the nest box a lot yesterday and acting really strange. I just need to get her to lay in the nest box. Then a little later I noticed the black sex link had been in the coop area for a while and she came down and I checked the nest box but no egg, then I saw her egg in the run at the bottom of the ramp. I am hoping that she just had it stuck to her or she kicked it out and that laying in the run is not going to become a habit. The sex link has been laying in the next box for about 2 weeks so it seems strange that she would suddenly start laying in the run.

So now I just need to find a third egg and I will know that I had a hen crow. They are all a little over 18 weeks old so I imagine I should be finding out soon. I know that this morning they were being so loud that I don't think it matters if they were hens or roosters I was sure I was going to get complaints from the neighbor.