Removed my rooster.... now a hen is looking boy'ish.. hugh?!

[AmyLM]

A month ago I processed my rooster. He was a great boy, really nice... BUT..... he was SOOOOOOO loud. We already have neighbors from ... well.. lets just say you wouldn't want them. So rooster became my first butchering event. Now... here is where it got weird. I have 8 phoenix girls and had 4 phoenix boys. So YES I know how to tell the boys from the girls. My girls were 100% girls. No doubt about it... TILL NOW. All of a sudden 2 are getting larger, very red combs. One is getting a down right rooster'esk comb and her feathers are starting to change. BUT... as if that isn't enough to make me wonder... she also is squatting like crazy. She will follow me around the run squatting and cooing at me till I pet her. Ok... comb like a boy... behavior like an egg-ready girl. Is it the hormone changes from removing the rooster combined with her soon-to-lay status?

*normal or not?!* I will post pictures tomorrow. I tried to take some tonight but I had already lost too much of the light.

 

[fried green eggs]

Sounds to me like this hen has decided - you have taken the roosters place and she's ready to start laying. lol

 

[donrae]

Well, how old is she? Sounds like she's at point of lay and it's totally normal for the combs to develop a lot, it's a sign of sexual maturity/fertility. Have you looked at pics of adult females to see how large their combs get? I'm not familiar with that breed, personally.

Or could just be late maturing cockerals. They don't all develop at the same time. Never had a cockeral squat, though.

Awaiting pics!

 

[AmyLM]

I will take some pics in a min now that my camera battery is charged. I have other hens of the same breed/age. The difference is pretty bold. I also noticed this morning that shes developing spurs.... none of the other girls are. Shes not crowing but shes clucking LOUDLY... like shes TRYING to crow. This only started happening in the couple of weeks. I google imaged silver phoenix hens and her comb is bigger than most of them. But shes DEFIANTLY feathered/colored like a girl not like a boy. I will do a comparison shot though. That should help.

 

[chickenzoo]

I have a mini Phoenix mix hen that I've had for years. A few months ago her comb started to get much bigger, redder and she started trying to crow. She also started fighting the roosters and attacking the other girls.... I think it is a hormone thing. She is an older hen, but I've had others that did it for awhile after a rooster removal, put in a new place or just because........

 

[Winter Chicken]

they will act like oppesite genders in a 1 gender flock.

is she acting boyish?

 

[kimberly_kodiak]

I have never had a rooster but have had dominant, in charge hens. Recently one of my four year old hens decided to take over other rooster responsibilities. She had been mounting other hens but she is also still laying eggs. I did research and a hen can take the place of the rooster in a flock and will also try to crow and mount. You may just have a Rooster-Hen.

 

[terryg]

Hens have only one working ovary. If that one gets damaged, then the hormone levels change and she can exhibit some male traits, such as crowing and growing spurs. If that's the case, then she won't lay eggs. As far as dominant hens go - I've had girls-only flocks for more than 16 years. Mixed ages and breeds. I've never had one hen take on a boss-everyone-around rooster role. The only way I can tell who is "dominant" is who gets the best treats. Otherwise, no aggression, no dominance, and no pecking order issues. I have noticed over the years that combs do change with age and health.

 

[AmyLM]

I will have my mom help me take pictures of my rooster like girl. She **IS INDEED** starting to grow spurs. She is clucking loudly as if she was crowing... but shes squatting constantly so at this point I dont know. I will post compairion pics between her and her 'sisters' who are also phoenix hens from the same time.