# Confused chicken?



## Ducklady (Apr 7, 2010)

I recently bought 3 chicks that were supposed to be hens. I'm not sure how old they are because they were just getting feathers when we got them. I've had them about 2 months now. Well this week one of my "hens" started crowing. She/he doesn't do it a lot just every so often. She /he is the more developed of the chicks is it possible that it is just a confused hen? The reason I bought them where I did was because I didn't want a rooster. I'm such a softy that even if Blanche turns out to be a Bruce I'll end up keeping him, hopefully he'll stay as quiet as he is now, I mean she is now. I refuse to admit defeat she is just a rare crowing chicken right?


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## Mon Reve Farm (Jun 25, 2010)

I'm sorry... There are some hens that may act like rooster of their flock by being protective, aggressive, calling to the others when food is found but crowing is not one of the characteristics.

Two things that lead me to believe Blanche is a Bruce...
1. Earlier development in males is pretty typical in most breeds
2. Practicing to crow


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I have to agree with Mon Reve. If he is practicing crowing you should be seeing saddle feathers by now. The will start in the middle of the back behind the wings and look like a saddle. They don't go straight back like the hens do. Mine will get the saddle feathers then usually start crowing a month later. I always sit and wish that I am wrong when I figure out that they are roosters. Last year I got to keep one and send his Dad off to the butchers with the other little ones. I felt guilty trying to decide who got to stay. So far though my choice has been a really good one.


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## Ducklady (Apr 7, 2010)

Well at least he seems to have a good personality so far, if he stays that way I'll learn to deal with the crowing... hopefully. I guess I'll have to build him his own little coop. Hopefully he's the only one who decides to have a sex change on me lol.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Now... I have to say that I did have a very strange silkie chicken (hen) who layed eggs ... but not often.. and she was my rooster's 'favorite'. After I got rid of the rooster, she started to crow!!!!
She was the smallest and fiestiest of the hens.. and she COULD crow! It's unusual... but not impossible. She never crowed until there was no more rooster. I got rid of her too.


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## Ducklady (Apr 7, 2010)

Well in that case I'll keep a flicker of hope alive. Maybe she's stepping in for an absentee rooster, I doubt it but here's hoping!


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Last fall I bought 9, 3 month old chicks. They were crosses but there was supposed to be 8 hens and one rooster........turns out that 4 were roosters..... the one I knew for sure was a rooster, he looked and acted like a rooster from day 1 that I had him. Then slowly the others started to develope rooster characteristics. I could have sworn that the others were hens, but nope!!!! But they were 6 months old before I was 100% sure that they were roosters.


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

In all the years of my sister-in-law buying "chicks" that were supposed to be hens... there has ALWAYS been atleast one rooster/male in the bunch by accident... always made wonder how the hec do they get it wrong so often????
I'm totally not a chicken person...but I'm interested to know... is it hard to tell the sex of the chicks or ????


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