One of these hens is not like the others!

Pictured in center is our "unusual" hen. These are from the flock of hens we have raised from day-old chicks back in April (they are now almost 5 months old). For weeks now I have wondered why this hen was so much larger and more mature than the rest. Was she simply the alpha & stealing food from the rest?

I remember our aummer intern had wondered as well. I recall saying to her "Well, I ordered 50 hens (females) and no roosters. If I had ordered a rooster that would be it but we only got hens".

All was explained to me very clearly at 6 am a few days ago as I worked frantically in the barn trying to gets seeds out for planting to beat the coming storm . "caaauuuu" it called from the coop, it's first call from it's immature throat. Oh no, I thought.

We've got a rooster .