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Barnyard Buddies:  Do young hens ever act like roosters?  |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 22 2010 : 1:14:06 PM
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Our 6 month old chicken was on top of our 6 month old hen (the one on the bottom is a laying hen). They are the same breed, same exact age but the one in question is a couple inches taller and wider than the layer. We have never heard a cock a doodle do out of it, we have never seen it do the piggy back huggin before & it doesn't fight with our rooster.
Just wondering if sometimes a hen can have a bit of extra hormones or confusion at a young age  OR if I just have quite, gentle rooster named Tootsie!
Thanks,
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2010 : 2:24:56 PM
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Sounds like Tootsie is having an identity crisis. Yes you can have a hen that will become the dominate one, but this usually only happens if you don't have a rooster. We had a hen that played the role of rooster (she even crowed) when it was only the 4 hens. We now have 40 hens and 4 roosters (2 are going to the stew pot in November) and the BO roo used to crow until the other 3 decided that he is low man on the totem pole, now not a peep out of him. He is very mild mannered and other than he is much larger than the hens you wouldn't even know he is a rooster.
Some roosters aren't that much larger than the hens. What breed do you have?
Lillian |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2010 : 3:39:18 PM
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Thanks Lillian!
The one in question is a Black Australorp. So is the layer she was lovin on. All along we thought the other one was the rooster, it was larger, alone a lot, just different.....and she turned out to be our first layer!
A mild mannered roo would be great. Our other roo is not awful, he is just loud. But he is not friendly at all like Tootsie. We named it Tootsie b/c it likes to sit on our feet when we are holding it. Now I am thinking of the D. Hoffman movie "Tootsie". Either way, Tootsie is loved.
On another note. We got an almost pink egg today. I think it is one of the Dominiques. She sure is a talker.
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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rosarita78
True Blue Farmgirl
206 Posts
Reina
Drought ridden High Plains
New Mexico
USA
206 Posts |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2010 : 06:44:02 AM
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Yahoo for your egg! It is always exciting when you get eggs. I have a pullet that was hatched on the 4th of july (only 2 survived and 1 is a cockeral) she is half ameracauna and I am not sure who the daddy is, but she is absolutly beautiful. Anyways her mama lays green eggs and daddy could either be a white or brown egg laying breed so I am waiting to see what color her eggs are.
As far as my "rooster hen" she did lay eggs as well and was very productive at it. Not a mean bone in her body.
Lillian |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2010 : 10:59:27 AM
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Thanks for the positive words. I do hope she is a "rooster hen", don't mind one rooster, don't want fighting if there is 2, or them to be mean to the little kids that LOVE to help with them. We are blessed with 2 eggs today. 1 small and one tiny. I know the one Dominique lays a tiny little egg...do the eggs get any bigger once the hen matures?
I have not heard anything from Tootsie. We noticed that 2 of the 3 layers hunker down as soon as we want to pet them. They stomp their feet and squat and let us love on them. So trusting.
Right now the big issue is that my 1st grader feels like he is missing out on collecting eggs while he is at school. My 4 year old is eager to check hourly while her brother is away. Today I am going to sneak 2 out there before he comes home and that will make his day. They did lay 2 today....just not at 3 pm!
I would have loved a green or bluish egg. My rooster was my one shot at that color egg! He's an Easter Egger. Then he cock a doodled and burst that bubble. But one if my brown egg layers lays a brown egg that is so light it looks pink.
Let me know what color you end up with. Or send a picture. I bet that would look so lovely mixed with browns and whites in a kitchen bowl.
Take care,
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 09:38:23 AM
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Still questioning Tootsie. Tootsie sleeps down on the floor of the coop with Robin our rooster. We have never seen Tootsie in the nesting box, still never heard a cock a doodle doo and we have never had 5 eggs in one day. We have 4 other hens.
I need to look up how often Dominiques, Black Australorps and Buff's lay to see if they are all every day layers.
Do some hens never lay an egg?
Thanks,
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
Edited by - CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl on Oct 19 2010 11:07:46 AM |
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basket girl
Farmgirl in Training
20 Posts
emily
walla walla
washington
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 10:29:37 AM
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This is really funny, because we had a rooster this spring that totally had us baffled! He never grew much of a tail, and the other roosters were always 'doing the dance' around him and thinking 'he' was a 'her'! I grew up with chickens and have never seen anything like it before! he was always kind of a loner bird, and didn't fit in with either gender, poor thing.
Handwoven baskets made to stand the tests of time and use! www.basketsbyemily.com |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 11:11:19 AM
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I took some photos of the hens a little bit ago and will get them on her later for examination.
Tootsie is much taller than the other black astralorp we have, but nothing majestic like our rooster.
If Tootsie is a rooster he is the best~ quiet and gentle and no dancing around the girls either.
Thanks Emily!
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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Wildcrafter
True Blue Farmgirl
340 Posts
Suzanne
Seattle
WA
USA
340 Posts |
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Barnyard Buddies: Do young hens ever act like roosters? |
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Do young hens ever act like roosters?
