Who’s My Roo?

[helgaruss69]

Yesterday, I heard a crow from the coop and am not sure who it was. My three most likely birds are all 3.5 - 4 months old.
Grey Ameraucana, Ellie or Elvis?
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Next up, sold to me as a Blue Barred, but looks like an Astralorp to me, Qwen or John?
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And my last, Best Guess is an Olive Egger, Louie or Louise?
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Thanks for looking!

A few years ago I had a Rhode Island Red hen (Lucy) and a Dominic Hen(Ethel). One day Lucy started crowing for know reason that I could find. My mom always told me that her mother would not allow a crowing hen in her yard, that one was dinner. I was not about to fry Lucy, she was a pet. Anyway, the neighbors dogs killed my girls when they broke through the fence. Now years later when I started raising some more girls. I started researching, crowing hens. What I found our was that it could be something as simple as a dominance issue. In that case the suggestion was to segregate the chicken in a single cage in a dark area, for a few days and then reintroduce her after there is a new pecking order. It could also be more complex. If I remember correctly it said that there could be hormonal issues caused by a problem with the ovary. My suggestion is to try seperating her for a while like in the first instance, and if that doesn't work you might try a vet, but good luck finding one.
Hope this helps.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

My vote is JOHN. Comb and wattles are bright red. Legs appear a bit thicker than the others. But most of all, it's the tail feathers. I can see a few with kind of ruffled or more narrow tips, more variety of shapes, and going a bit different directions. The others I can see all have rounded ends, almost blunt, and they lay smooth and flat.

 

[JennAndHens]

John has waddles.

I’m not sure what you mean. Qwen/John does have waddles, but so do some breeds of hens. I think she looks like a blue Astralorp.

 

[Chicken116]

My first guess is Qwen is John if only because the comb and waddles seem awfully big and prominent for a pullet that (IIRC) was 3.5 months (though months is a little vague vs. weeks).

As for crowing hens, well I had a pet leghorn in high school--our psychology teacher seemed to think it was wise to give 10th graders chicks to learn about imprinting. Mine was the only one who survived the first week as I was the only one who followed directions. In any case I had no idea how bad it was for her to be a solo hen! She lived in the back yard with my bunny and they slept in our storage shed--kept the door propped open so they could come in and out as they pleased. She made a nest out of one of the Christmas ornament boxes. Come to think of it I 'assumed' she slept there but now I'm guessing she roosted somewhere and that was her nesting box. Oh well, I'm totally digressing. When she was about 3 or 4 she got sick with something. When she bounced back she did not lay and eventually she masculinized. Grew spurs and crowed. No more eggs. Whatever it was took out her ovary and the other side came back testes dominant.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

If that buff orp is only 3.5 months old id say thats a male as orps hens are slow maturing and their combs wouldnt be that big that soon

 

[JennAndHens]

My first guess is Qwen is John if only because the comb and waddles seem awfully big and prominent for a pullet that (IIRC) was 3.5 months (though months is a little vague vs. weeks).

As for crowing hens, well I had a pet leghorn in high school--our psychology teacher seemed to think it was wise to give 10th graders chicks to learn about imprinting. Mine was the only one who survived the first week as I was the only one who followed directions. In any case I had no idea how bad it was for her to be a solo hen! She lived in the back yard with my bunny and they slept in our storage shed--kept the door propped open so they could come in and out as they pleased. She made a nest out of one of the Christmas ornament boxes. Come to think of it I 'assumed' she slept there but now I'm guessing she roosted somewhere and that was her nesting box. Oh well, I'm totally digressing. When she was about 3 or 4 she got sick with something. When she bounced back she did not lay and eventually she masculinized. Grew spurs and crowed. No more eggs. Whatever it was took out her ovary and the other side came back testes dominant.

Wow! What a story! I've heard about chickens being "masculinized", but never a first-hand tale. So interesting!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Sure.
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Natty, Buff Orp, 3.5 months old

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Teeny, Olive Egger, 3.5 months old

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LouLou, Olive Egger, 3.5 months old

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Qwen, sold to me as a Blue Barred, but she looks like an Astralorp to me, 3.5 months old

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Penny, Ameraucana, 4 months old

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Ellie, Ameraucana (she was sold to me as an Ameraucana, I don’t know I’d she’s an EE), 4 months old
My two Barred Rocks are laying, so they’re not in question

They are all 100% pullets. Pullets can occasionally crow, though it’s even less common than hens doing it. I agree that Qwen looks like a blue australorp. Penny is an Easter egger, you can tell from her mixed coloring.

 

[basque]

Agreed

Beware of a whistling woman and a crowing hen. Hens do crow .