I have a freind in Alabama who has a Leghorn HEN who is crowing! She lays eggs, but crows like a rooster. She doesn't look like a rooster, either. Anyone out there ever heard of this before?

-- Jacque Schwenke (jjchef@cfaith.com), August 30, 2001

Answers

I have a hen that is not right. She barks/honks/squeeks. Does this hen crow at daylight?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), August 30, 2001.

This reminds me of the old saw;

"Whistling girls and crowing hens, always come to some bad ends."

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 30, 2001.

YES! I once had a small flock of Jungle Fowl and one hen sat in a tree every morning and crowed nearly as well as the rooster. Didn't seem to affect her laying or mothering. She was definately the subject of conversation for visitors!

-- Louise (Rockinhorse@knoxy.net), August 30, 2001.

Haven't had a crowing hen but every once in a while I will go in the hen house and see one of my roosters setting in one of the nest boxes. It looks funny to see a majestic brown leghorn rooster setting while hens are on both side of him laying eggs.

-- Russell Hays (rhays@sstelco.com), August 30, 2001.

If my wife can lay roofing shingles, why not a hen crowing :>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 30, 2001.

In the past few months one of my hens has also begun to crow. She starts at 5:00AM and crows off and on until about 8:00AM. I'm not sure which one it is because she doesn't do it when I'm up at the coop.

-- Dwight (summit1762@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

My little bantam golden sebright hen crows. Craziest thing i've ever heard! She is top in pecking order amongst the hens and she is the absolute BEST momma. more protective of her clutch of babies than any of my other hens.

-- Buk Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), August 30, 2001.

I have a Banty Golden Sebright hen who has gone through crowing phases. I also had an Americauna hen who took to crowing in the late summer. Both were tremendous layers (though the banty has slacked off some this year - she's four), before and after crowing phases.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), August 31, 2001.

We don't have any hens that crow however our Beagle does a fine job of crowing along with the roosters.

-- Norah A Johnson (Rockinhorse@knoxy.net), September 02, 2001.