Anyway to stop a crowing hen?

[loyalcrowlist]

I have a Polish hen that was dumped in my backyard awhile ago with another hen. They were both in bad condition and I suspect that the previous owner knew I had chickens and decided to dump them there for that reason. I've treated them and they're doing much better! But one of them, Tax Evasion, has started crowing. She seems to be fairly nervous in general. My flock is pretty docile and I've never seen any of them actively picking on her - my two Salmon Faverolles spend a lot of time grooming her and she's good friends with my Silkie. She has a lot of space and the crowing is recent, within the last month, though nothing has actually changed.

Honestly, she's not that loud because she's a hen but I'm also urban and we're not allowed roosters so that worry has been in the back of my mind for a bit. Is there anything I could try to get her to stop crowing? The one thing I've noticed helps is holding/cuddling her but that's not really a long lasting solution because some days I just can't spend ten minutes holding one chicken, y'know?

 

[FrostRanger]

Unfortunately there's no way to make a chicken be quiet. The only thing I can suggest is to bribe the neighbors with eggs if you're worried

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Usually hens that crow are not as loud as roosters, so it probably won't be a problem - the egg song is much louder. It sounds like she's taken over as the dominant hen?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Are you positive that she is a hen? Do you have a picture of her?

 

[McChooky]

I have a Polish hen that was dumped in my backyard awhile ago with another hen. They were both in bad condition and I suspect that the previous owner knew I had chickens and decided to dump them there for that reason. I've treated them and they're doing much better! But one of them, Tax Evasion, has started crowing. She seems to be fairly nervous in general. My flock is pretty docile and I've never seen any of them actively picking on her - my two Salmon Faverolles spend a lot of time grooming her and she's good friends with my Silkie. She has a lot of space and the crowing is recent, within the last month, though nothing has actually changed.

Honestly, she's not that loud because she's a hen but I'm also urban and we're not allowed roosters so that worry has been in the back of my mind for a bit. Is there anything I could try to get her to stop crowing? The one thing I've noticed helps is holding/cuddling her but that's not really a long lasting solution because some days I just can't spend ten minutes holding one chicken, y'know?

One of the reasons why a hen starts crowing is hormonal (due to an injury or disease of the reproductive organs) They'll typically stop laying but soon as the issue resolves they'll start laying again. (They'll also mount the other hens sometimes).Hopefully yours is a dominance issue and not health related

 

[LaFleche]

The reason s/he got dropped at your place might be that it is a male.

Please provide some clear pictures for us.

 

[McChooky]

The reason s/he got dropped at your place might be that it is a male.

Please provide some clear pictures for us.

She didn't confirm it lays eggs so it could very well be a rooster lol

 

[loyalcrowlist]

She didn't confirm it lays eggs so it could very well be a rooster lol

No, she's absolutely a hen!

She even lays eggs though not as often which I assumed was an age thing (she seems older) or because of the recent crowing.

 

[loyalcrowlist]

One of the reasons why a hen starts crowing is hormonal (due to an injury or disease of the reproductive organs) They'll typically stop laying but soon as the issue resolves they'll start laying again. (They'll also mount the other hens sometimes).Hopefully yours is a dominance issue and not health related

She doesn't have any health issues according to the vet. I just took her recently (three weeks ago) and she was fine.

It's odd. I would consider her more of a 'loner' than the rest, she even finds other places to roost and I have to get her while the others go into the coop when it gets dark. The only difference I've seen with her crowing is she's more likely to do it if there's noise like the garbage truck or construction and less likely if we're out in the backyard. The latter is probably just because she's distracted? Not sure.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

No, she's absolutely a hen!

She even lays eggs though not as often which I assumed was an age thing (she seems older) or because of the recent crowing.

What a gorgeous polish hen! I just love the way her top hat is colored.