[Icklemonkey]

This morning we were having a lay in when we heard one of the girls crowing??!!  She has been spending a lot of time on her own recently because our other girl is broody (despite numerous attempts to break her!) Is my crowing hen lonely and calling for attention or is something worse going on inside her?

[sneezer]

Not sure if this is the same but when one of mine crowed (what a pair of lungs), it was an alarm call as there was a cat up a tree trying to get at a nest and the blackbird was going mad!!I think she was trying to help.

[shetan]

does anyone around you keep hens or have a rooster?

my 7 week chicks were being kept indoors and whenever the back door was open, one of them would 'call out' everytime one of my boys crowed....she's stopped doing it now that she's in with them.

i think it was her way of telling everyone they were there too....

[CattinJ]

I tke it she definitely is a hen...have you had any eggs from her???   

[Beano]

One of mine started crowing when she was left on her own by the other one who was broody. This was last year and she has been laying eggs and is fine. I had to reassure my neighbour that we didnt have  a cockerel. She still crowes every now and again when she is on her own or wants attention.

[Curlytop]

I have one that crows every time she lays an egg, as soon as I go and collect it she is quiet again.

[hillfooter]

Hens don't "crow"in the same sense as cocks crow but they exalt usually in respose to laying an egg.  It's usually a sort of accelerating rosey ending in a loud squawk and lasts longer and isn't as loud as a cocks crow.  Cocks crow to assert their territorial ownership.

Old hens when they stop laying can change sex caused by a hormonal problem.  I've had a hen which did this and she started crowing and treading the other hens!

Best wishes
HF

[Curlytop]

Thank you for clearing that up HF, I am glad I don't have a Cock as my Hen makes enough noise, not that it bothers me but I live too close to many neighbours who might not see it the same as me 

[gsc]

Oh lord - I have all this to come I see.

Anyone know how far away a crowing bird has to be before it's no longer considered a nuisance?

Our 2 acres is kind of like a long rectangle, maybe 70m x 130m.

I wonder how many metres away would be good enough.  I can't see me ending up without cockerels.  I have yet to fathom out if I can keep the males further away when not needing fertile eggs.

[joyfull]

In the early mornings before I got my cockerels I used to listen to the neighbours boys crowing over half a mile away so doubt that your plot would stop them being classed as a nuisance by your moaning neighbour - but if you are registered as a small holding then you may be OK if you put them as far away from that neighbour as possible.

[gsc]

Joyfull - Would that crowing from so far away be enough to wake some-one?

I guess it's one of those grey areas  

[8doubles]

Joyfull - Would that crowing from so far away be enough to wake some-one?

I guess it's one of those grey areas  

If a person cannot sleep they like to find something to blame it on , guess who that would be.

Ps some banty cocks have not got the vocal power of the big boys and may be an option.

[joyfull]

some banty cocks though have a very high pitched shrill crow (I would sooner listen to a large fowl crow myself) and if you have more than one they will compete with each other. Some people though just love the sound of the boys crowing in the morning. To help minimise the noise so early in the morning you could make sure that their coup is pitch black and also if that fails they can be placed in a cat box overnight to stop them reaching up and stretching their necks to enable them to crow.

[gsc]

At the moment I am being very tempted by all the colours and patterns in Wyandottes (and maybe Marans).  I guess the crcowing issue could even be a deciding factor.

Do people seperate cockerels from hens when they don't need fertile eggs?  Is it practical?  Or are the males always with the ladies?

[gsc]

If a person cannot sleep they like to find something to blame it on , guess who that would be.

Oh for sure, we already have the raised eyebrows at the chicken coops and the constant '3 minute walk the dog and tie the shoelaces' every time they think something is happening.  The joys of having a right of way down the middle.  I feel another hedge planting exercise coming on.