Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Jan]

I'm back again after a long layoff (pun intended) as I lost my logon details! Also, have been lucky to have no probs with the girls, apart from

Freda having regular bouts of broodiness. After two years of daily eggs, no broodiness and no moulting - Ginger decided to crow this afternoon !!! I couldn't believe my ears, but she did it at least four times

I've heard her cluck with annoyance when the local ginger tom tries his luck in my garden, but this was definitely a crow, if not the full cock-a-doodle-do. I'm panicking now because the neighbours have been very understanding of the mess and devastation they see in my garden, but I don't think they'll take kindly to a regular crowing Has anyone out there had a similar problem - is it just a menopausal thing? (Ginger - not me)

[feemcg]

A couple of my girls are very noisy and I often think that if the neighbours didn't know any different they would think I had a cockerel in the garden.

I've read a few articles about chickens changing sex - those that have been reliable layers then stop and start crowing.

A girl came to buy some chicks from me recently and I was telling her that I was pretty sure they were girls although I had even made a mistake with an autosexing Cream Legbar - sexed as a girl at hatch, salmon breast, brothers had huge combs and wattles by 6 weeks and 'she' suddenly developed at 13 weeks and started crowing! - she said "Oh yes, it'll just be one of those that changed sex", and said it was quite common.

So yes, it is possible, but I don't know if its common in older birds.

[Jan]

Thanks Fee - I've not heard her do it since then, but I'm at work during the day. She looked a bit sorry for herself on Monday, so I went home at lunchtime to check on her - and do some Marmite on toast as a 'tonic', and she'd laid a 'soft' egg, which broody Freda had squashed. Perhaps the two are connected???

 

With all those chickens of yours, you must have your hands full

 

Jan

[chelsea]

we are noisy chicken owners

 

Ella our big girl is very noisy at anytime of the day...we have to shut the eglu door at night as otherwise she would be bawk bawk bawking at 5am in the morning. During the day she also bawks loudly at Sam the other chicken too...I think she is a dominant hen and also like the sound of her own cluck!

 

In my chicken encyclodpedia it does say that sometimes 1 hen will adopt the characteristics of a cockerel.

[Jan]

Doh Ginger actually did a full cock-a-doodle-do at about 8pm last night. I was on the phone to my daughter and even she heard it!! I'm panicking now, because I'm in a built-up area and am bound to get complaints if it continues. Am I doomed to losing her???

[kannie]

Matilda used to do full crows like this sometimes, but it was usually when something upset or scared her. Do you know if anything unusual happened at the time?

 

Luckily our current ones havent done this yet....

 

I have heard of the sex change hens, but thought that was only if there were a lot of hens together with no cockerel. Not sure it would happen with just 2...

[Jan]

I don't thing anything unusual happened, she only gave the one full crow. There are two cats which are a bit of a nuisance, but both girls just cluck loudly and indignantly until next door's dog comes out to see what the fuss is. Perhaps Ginger is just feeling extra-dominant while Freda is lazing away the weeks in the Eglu? No eggs from Ginger for a few days, so I hope she isn't suffering from a confused identity