# Could my hen (pullet) be a rooster??



## backyardFarming (Jun 25, 2013)

My husband and I picked out a veriety of different chicks and one of them is a Blue Cochin. It's has been a joy to watch our chicks grow. When we ordered our chicks, wanting only those to grow as hens, we were told that it may be possible to have one of them turn out to be a rooster. I did the research on all the different breeds we have and had seen pictures of Blue Cochin hens to have the comb and waddles that dangle.. And the roosters have the same but with a longer wing span and a bigger feathered rear end.( which my Cochin does not have) All of our birds are docile and gentle. But my Blue Cochin is my favorite.. she (?) is so sweet and loves to be held and given attention! But, yesterday morning while doing barn chores I had stopped to take a break to watch our young birds... and then... I had seen my Blue Cochin stretch her neck and "crowed"... like a rooster!!!
I was shocked! I heard once, and can't remember where I heard this, but that hens have been known to crow. Is this true? Attached is a pic that is a couple of months old... when she was about 2 1/2 months old. Her waddles (wattles) are longer now. What do you think... is she a rooster?


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

My rooster would crow and my hen would follow right as he quit, at first I thought my rooster was exhaling and then crowing with an inhale but after closely monitoring my hen was the one adding to his crow! Its not usual but can happen.. Hadn't heard of any other hens doing so, the hen I had passed away due to fire ant infestation Hope you have a crowing hen and not what happened to me my first feathery friends I wanted a rooster and three hens ended up having a hen and three roosters


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

If those pics are of 2 mo. old birds, it's a good chance she is a he....too red in the face, too large of sex characteristics for a 2 mo. hen. I hope I'm wrong, but sure looks like a developing rooster.


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## backyardFarming (Jun 25, 2013)

Oh darn.. I was hoping not, but "Blue" ( that's what we named our Blue Cochin", is so cute and sweet that I will keep him if he is a rooster. We will just have to collect and eat all the eggs we find and not allow any hens to sit on them. But I admit, I enjoy the morning sound of a " cock-a-doodle-doo". 
Thanks for taking a look at my pics and reading this post!


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

I got 2 Australorp pullets in March of this year. They were from a straight-run batch, so I knew I was taking my chances, and if one had been a roo, he would have had to be re-homed. As they grew, one developed a larger, redder comb than the other. I worried. I posted a pic of my chick at 3 months, and most thought because of the comb, it was a roo. The feathering on both of them was identical, neither of them had any roo sex feathers. So I named them Bella and Butch. Both of them lay eggs now, both are totally hen-feathered. Butch's comb is still huge compared to Bella's. So, what I learned is that the comb size and/or early redness is not a trustworthy way to sex a chicken. Except for a few breeds where the male is "hen feathered", or mixes containing those breeds, or silkies, looking for roo sex-feathers is the best way short of examining the interior of the vent (which takes know-how I don't have and probably never will) for sex organs. This is not taking into account "sex-link" chickens.

AND, though I have not personally experienced this, it is true, hens can crow.


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