Shoot me now. My lonely hen is now crowing like a rooster.

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

I've been hearing a mystery rooster every morning now for the past few days. I've gone outside and searched my yard and peeked over the fences into my neighbor's yards. No rooster. But I hear it every morning - a loud crowing noise. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? Then my husband comes in today and tells me it's OUR hen that's crowing. I went out there this morning and he's right. Somebody shoot me. One of the neighbors is bound to complain and I don't know what we'll do. (We're really not supposed to have chickens according to our HOA, but since mine are hens everyone has been really understanding - inc the HOA president who's our direct neighbor. And FTR, we can have horses, but not chickens.)

This all started on my BR's 2nd day living alone. She's 3 1/2 years old and her flockmate Sookie, died from EYP in June. Her other flockmate, Clementine, died from EYP a few days ago. Now she's alone and crowing sooooooo loudly every single morning. I have no clue how to shut her up, but if someone complains I'm screwed. The sun comes up and she's CROWING AS LOUD AS SHE CAN.

We're building an addition inside our coop to move our 3 little chicks out there next week so hopefully having three little chicks to be irritated by will be enough to shut her up, but since she can't mingle with them, maybe she'll keep crowing?

Has this happened to anyone else before? A 3 1/2 year old hen all of a sudden crowing like a rooster every. single. morning?????

Any ideas?

 

[devora]

So you now have only one bird?

More birds.

 

[azygous]

Crowing hens are more common than one might think. You-tube is full of videos of hens crowing. I have a hen who crows, but it sounds more like screaming yodeling than the respectable techniques of some of these You-tube hens.

Some people insist that a hen may give up crowing if there's a rooster in the picture. I have doubts on that score, and getting a roo would only increase your problems.

I think you will just have to convince your neighbors to be understanding.

 

[terryg]

Hens have two ovaries, but only one is functioning. If that ovary becomes injured, then her hormone levels will change, and she could start crowing. This is not as rare as you might think with older hens - much can go wrong in older birds, and ovarian cancer is prevalent.