Roosters or She-Men

[BawkinOnTheBench]

Just wondering - some places say you don't need roosters if you don't want chicks, your hens will be just as happy without them. Other places say if you don't have a rooster, one of your hens will stop laying and act like a rooster. I won't have roosters anyway, because I live in the burbs and don't want to annoy any neighbors ... but can anyone sound off on either side of the issue? Anyone have no roosters and perfectly happy hens? Or no roosters and a she-man hen?

 

[gritsar]

They'll be just as happy without a roo. It can happen that a hen will take over the traditional rooster role, but it doesn't always happen.

 

[Ugly Cowboy]

Well, one of my cuzins lives in town (poor kid) and he has two hens. One of them is like a normal hen and the other one "crows", though it sounds kinda like a cockerell first learnin, and she kicks ya every time ya walk in the yard. It dont happen very often though, I think she's just a little off her rocker. But it's sure funny to watch!

 

[3 sisters farm]

I've been told by some my barnvelder is a hen...others a rooster. She/He nests in the nest box, roots around like a hen, I don't know what saddle feathers are..., barnvelders have fairly large comb whattles, it is a large bird...only one of 4 of my birds this age is giving eggs...have had recently a tan spotted with dark brown newbie egg....but also get an occassional pathetic sounding crow...I'll try to figure out how to post pics.