Hello, I have six RIR's. They are around 22 weeks of age. For the longest time I thought I had all pullets and then just recently one started to crow. I also have a Silver Spangled Hamburg the same age and he was crowing at 16 weeks old. Now a bunch of them are challenging each other fluffing up there neck feathers and such but it never gets nasty. Do pullets do this as well? I was also wondering when they might be starting to lay? Maybe I have all Roo's??? Does anyone else have experience with RIR behaviors? Thanks!
I've had my girls challenge the guys before. Had some Large fowl EE barnyard mixes and my Porcelain dutch girls didn't like one of them for some reason and was always picking fights and trying to flog him...He was way larger than my dutches but he wouldn't fight back other than to flare his neck feathers, he could have really hurt them if he wanted to... It was really funny to watch. Now both the mixes are in a new home where they are free to roam 5 acres. And my Dutch girls haven't picked on anyone else.
i think all chickens, hens or roosters, will flare their hackles in challenge. All my girls do. At 22 weeks, you should be seeing eggs soon. i have had mixed experience with RIR. My first two twenty years ago were so sweet. Last year i raised another couple, then added two more young pullets, and they got nasty, super aggressive. So, i don't know what the norm is.