Why is my hen crowing?

[Tommypace2003]

I just noticed that my hens crow when I startle them in the morning. So I'm assuming that is just their way of saying "leave me alone" or warning the others I'm there. They are about 2 1/2 months old and are still a little freaked out by me. They are getting better but they don't crow normally. I'm guessing it's just a warning system the dominant bird enforces.

 

[rebrascora]

I have 2 exchequer leghorn hens and a cockerel in the garden at home and a few days ago the cockerel was crowing and then suddenly I heard this rather strained high pitched crowing. It was nothing like the egg song, it was a cock a doodle doo crow and when I investigated it was coming from one of the hens. Each time Horace cock a doodle dooed, a few seconds later, so did she. I have had them nearly 6 months now and they have been laying for 5 so I know the egg song and I am around in the garden with them a lot and I've never heard her do this before or since. It wasn't the sort of cackle they do when they are alarmed, it was a proper cockerel call, albeit in a high croaky voice. Horace is a bit of a sex pest in the morning and I really need to get some more hens for him to take the pressure off the girls, but surely that suggests it's not a dominance thing since he is obviously fulfilling his role. Thankfully the noise is not a problem for me as I have no near neighbours, it was just very strange!

 

[Tommypace2003]

Well I actually just found out that my hen is crowing! My Rooster is. I didn't know I had a rooster! My Alice just became an Alex. To all newbies. Don't just assume you have pullets! Lol.

 

[rebrascora]

Well, my chicken is definitely female and she's now crowing almost every day mid morning. She waits until Horace starts and every time he crows, she follows him.... as if to say... "anything you can do I can do too!" It goes on for about 10-15 mins. She is still laying eggs and otherwise is quite normal, she just likes a mid morning singing competition with her man!

 

[Chick Daze]

I have a Rooster and 4 hens. One of the older hens crow's right along with the Rooster in the morning. Not sure why?

 

[Phaylen]

She's crowing alright!

Let me tell you about our Hen Tiger, a female swedish flower hen who wasn't really a free ranger but lived in a pen adjoined with those of some talkative campine roosters- perhaps the loudest most vocal breed of rooster... They grew up together so were very familiar with one another.

One day I realized, when one of of campines would crow at me as i did my chores- which would always create a domino effect resulting in the second campine to crow- I heard, for the first time a THIRD crow. It was distinctively unique but still a forced cockle-doodle-doo, with neck elongated mouth open and determination that was impressive.

Ad lo and behold, this Hen started doing it along with them every single day, you'd hear those boys and their typical crow followed by hers, which was unmistakable and had us all quite shocked and entertained by her.

I believe she literally learned to vocalize a crow from her noisy brothers.