I have some questions and concerns.
My "girls" are becoming very questionable. The one that looks like a BO (or a BO cross?? or something that resembles a BO but may not be) has decided it is going to make crowing noises to be let out first thing in the morning (I have to sleep downstairs on the couch with a window open so I can catch the first or second 'crow' and then show it the 'rake' (my version of the axe) so it will hopefully shut up. Now this has been going on for a week now and the 'crow' has not gotten any better, meaning to me and all the video clips I have watched and listened to, it really doesn't sound like a rooster crowing even with a week of practice and driving me nuts and stressing me out. I am still in denial....this was supposed to be a hen. I have had several people who are long-time chicken owners tell me the same thing. Definitely a hen, no doubt about it. She/He has only done this for a week now and usually only first thing in the morning or to let me know they need a water refill or to let the neighboring birds know their chirping and singing is nothing close to what this chicken can do. Other than that, she/he is quietly cackling, talking, gossiping and following her/his buddy, Essen, around everywhere. They are never apart and will cry and whimper if they can not find the other. This particular chicken is the cry baby if they get separated or out of sight of each other. The chicken in question still chirps a bit, cackles and bock bocks mostly. She/he will lay down if you pet her/his back, is afraid of just about everything even after proper handling and socializing since day 1, snuggles at night with Essen when they roost, has no spur buds other than a tiny bump like the ones on the one we know is a hen, both chickens will raise their hackles when frightened or upset but neither are aggressive, oh and the chicken in question looks exactly like my friends buff orpington hen (who lays eggs so we know that one IS a hen for sure). Mine were hatched in March so they are, what about 3 months or so as of June 11th? So other than the poor quality of the clip, I am open to ideas on this one. This was the second day it started making noise (sorry for the poor composition)
Now, our other hen, again a cross breed so we are not sure what she is (beautiful thing with dark blue legs), chases birds out of the yard. It is quite funny to watch he run around like a Raptor chasing away robins and starlings. All while the other chicken stays in one place watching or acting afraid.
I posted about this before but I keep being told that they are both hens in spite of the crowing noise. And like I said, even though the neighbors haven't said anything, they are bound to complain and it won't matter if I have strange hens or not or eggs for that matter.
If one goes, they both have to go. They are very close and the "crowing" one actually spent one night recently alone because we couldn't find the other anywhere. I looked for her off and on all night until hubby woke me up saying she was back because he heard her clucking. The larger chicken was so upset and freaked out that it hid behind a box in the corner of the coop. Oh and even if these two are cornered neither is aggressive (although the white one is much smarter than the other!) just completely freaked out and clucking orders about how to avoid the situation.
I had no idea raising chickens could be so darn stressful.
any ideas on what the white hen might be breed wise? In one of the photos you can kind of see part of her dark blue legs.
and of course what to do about the other one...I am quickly going chicken crazy over all of this.
my favorite photo:
thank you for putting up with me.
My "girls" are becoming very questionable. The one that looks like a BO (or a BO cross?? or something that resembles a BO but may not be) has decided it is going to make crowing noises to be let out first thing in the morning (I have to sleep downstairs on the couch with a window open so I can catch the first or second 'crow' and then show it the 'rake' (my version of the axe) so it will hopefully shut up. Now this has been going on for a week now and the 'crow' has not gotten any better, meaning to me and all the video clips I have watched and listened to, it really doesn't sound like a rooster crowing even with a week of practice and driving me nuts and stressing me out. I am still in denial....this was supposed to be a hen. I have had several people who are long-time chicken owners tell me the same thing. Definitely a hen, no doubt about it. She/He has only done this for a week now and usually only first thing in the morning or to let me know they need a water refill or to let the neighboring birds know their chirping and singing is nothing close to what this chicken can do. Other than that, she/he is quietly cackling, talking, gossiping and following her/his buddy, Essen, around everywhere. They are never apart and will cry and whimper if they can not find the other. This particular chicken is the cry baby if they get separated or out of sight of each other. The chicken in question still chirps a bit, cackles and bock bocks mostly. She/he will lay down if you pet her/his back, is afraid of just about everything even after proper handling and socializing since day 1, snuggles at night with Essen when they roost, has no spur buds other than a tiny bump like the ones on the one we know is a hen, both chickens will raise their hackles when frightened or upset but neither are aggressive, oh and the chicken in question looks exactly like my friends buff orpington hen (who lays eggs so we know that one IS a hen for sure). Mine were hatched in March so they are, what about 3 months or so as of June 11th? So other than the poor quality of the clip, I am open to ideas on this one. This was the second day it started making noise (sorry for the poor composition)
Now, our other hen, again a cross breed so we are not sure what she is (beautiful thing with dark blue legs), chases birds out of the yard. It is quite funny to watch he run around like a Raptor chasing away robins and starlings. All while the other chicken stays in one place watching or acting afraid.
I posted about this before but I keep being told that they are both hens in spite of the crowing noise. And like I said, even though the neighbors haven't said anything, they are bound to complain and it won't matter if I have strange hens or not or eggs for that matter.
If one goes, they both have to go. They are very close and the "crowing" one actually spent one night recently alone because we couldn't find the other anywhere. I looked for her off and on all night until hubby woke me up saying she was back because he heard her clucking. The larger chicken was so upset and freaked out that it hid behind a box in the corner of the coop. Oh and even if these two are cornered neither is aggressive (although the white one is much smarter than the other!) just completely freaked out and clucking orders about how to avoid the situation.
I had no idea raising chickens could be so darn stressful.
any ideas on what the white hen might be breed wise? In one of the photos you can kind of see part of her dark blue legs.
and of course what to do about the other one...I am quickly going chicken crazy over all of this.
my favorite photo:
thank you for putting up with me.
