A Crowing Hen....

"A whistling woman and a crowing hen, are neither fit for God nor men...."

I have heard this saying many times. I know what it means. It is not fit or proper for a woman to whistle, and it is compared to an out of place "crowing hen." It has been said it is unlady like. It has been said it brings bad luck. Some say women should not whistle because of the silly face that is made while doing it. I disagree...what is cuter than a kissy face? That can't be the reason. So my question is WHY was it thought improper for a woman to whistle. I remember Jo whistling in "Little Women," Her sister told her "Don't do it! It is so boyish."
Of course Jo replied that is exactly why she did it.

Overall silence in women has been a long standing topic of discussion for hundreds of years. One principle is

"Silence is a fine jewel for a woman but little worn"

and another is

"One tongue is enough for two women."

From time immemorial women have been accused of gossiping. It was even made illegal in St. Helena in 1789:

"Whereas several idle, gossiping women, made it their business to go from house to house, about this island, inventing and spreading false and scandalous reports of the good people thereof, and thereby sow discord and debate among neighbours, and often between men and their wives, to the great grief and trouble of all good and quiet people, and to the utter extinguishing of all friendship, amity, and good neighbourhood; for the punishment and suppression thereof, and to the intent that all strife may be ended, we do order that if any women, from henceforth, shall be convicted of tale-hearing, mischief-making, scolding, or any other notorious vices, they shall be punished by ducking, or whipping, or such other punishment as their crimes or transgressions shall deserve, or the Governor and Council shall think fit."

It is ironic that the voice of a woman has been compared to the loveliest sound ever heard...

"The whisper of a beautiful woman can be heard further than the loudest call of duty"

And to the worst sound an ear could ever withstand ....

"a woman's tongue is only three inches long, it can kill a man six feet high"

Honestly.....this post isn't about feminism or whether or not a woman is more beautiful or wise when quiet.. My real reason for writing this is much more important.

I have a crowing hen.

This morning I walked outside to throw out the trash and I heard a sound that made me jump out of my skin. I turned around to the chicken yard fully expecting to see some animal ravaging one of my chickens. The screaming that hen was producing gave me the chills. It HAD to be bad. I ran over the the yard but saw nothing out of place. The chickens were just looking at me as if nothing was going on. Then my Rhode Island Red hen who was perched on top of the water jug.... started CROWING. I didn't know hens could DO that! And I have to agree with the above quote...I don't think it is fitting for God nor men to have to hear that sound. That is WAY worse than some woman whistling, in my opinion.

I am going to look into it, but I am guessing that she is taking over Chick Magnet's job. I noticed that she also is roosting at night by herself since he died. She must be the "head hen" now. I can't help but wonder what she will do when I introduce the new Chick Magnet in a few weeks. Will she be angry? Will she put up a fight and start some "movement"? Or will she meekly just go back to being a girl who holds her tongue?

No Whistling.
No Crowing....
Because everyone knows that....

Whistling girls and crowing hens,
Always come to some bad end"