Hens changing sex
I noticed this article: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/two-scottish-hens-undergo-full-sex-change.html which claims two hens in Scotland have changed sex. It says they were laying eggs before the change.
I've had roosters I thought were hens and they developed their combs and started crowing only after the rooster was dispatched - so they seemed to be able to delay their development somehow. I also had a hen that started crowing after the rooster was dispatched, but she didn't develop a comb and went on laying eggs. After a few days she stopped crowing - possibly because she realised how hopeless she was at crowing anyway.
Has anybody else noticed any weird sex changes?
Lin
I've had roosters I thought were hens and they developed their combs and started crowing only after the rooster was dispatched - so they seemed to be able to delay their development somehow. I also had a hen that started crowing after the rooster was dispatched, but she didn't develop a comb and went on laying eggs. After a few days she stopped crowing - possibly because she realised how hopeless she was at crowing anyway.
Has anybody else noticed any weird sex changes?
Lin
Discussion started by casalenta , on Thursday, 05 May 2011 10:37
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The sound that sends dread through any poultry keeper when you have a lovely little batch of unsexed chickens then one dark morning you hear the sound 'ra ra ra ra ruuuuuuu'...grrrrrrr You end up with 4 roosters and 1 hen...yikes
It is normal I believe for a hen to display male tendencies at times, especially when there is no rooster present.
I have a couple of hens with spurs.. one of these hens even began to crow.. as pathetic as it was, lol. That only lasted for one day. But they have had their spurs for their whole lifetime. One of these hens has only one spur.
I have been breeding Araucana's for over 5 years and I am fairly certain of the sex of a bird within the first 6 to 8 weeks. However, I have had hens become roo's within a few short weeks.. but maybe I have just mis- judged something, I am not sure.
I have a couple of hens with spurs.. one of these hens even began to crow.. as pathetic as it was, lol. That only lasted for one day. But they have had their spurs for their whole lifetime. One of these hens has only one spur.
I have been breeding Araucana's for over 5 years and I am fairly certain of the sex of a bird within the first 6 to 8 weeks. However, I have had hens become roo's within a few short weeks.. but maybe I have just mis- judged something, I am not sure.
