Hermaphrodite chicken?

[HennyPenny44]

The Black sex link below is almost 8 months old. I made several updates on here trying to figure out if it’s a male or female. I assumed it was male once it started crowing. It hasn’t laid an egg and it has not attempted to mate with my hens. The only male like thing it does is rush to the front of the females as if it’s defending them when I approach. It has no spurs nor has it ever tried to attack me. My older hens peck at it so it doesn’t sleep with them on the roost. It crowed for a short time (a week or so) but the crow was weak and has stopped completely. It had problems eating as a chick and would helplessly cheep while the other chicks ate so I had to put food down its beak so it would survive. Perhaps it had a genetic defect? So would you say this is a hermaphrodite chicken? If so, will it ever lay eggs or crow or mate? I just don’t know what to think of this chicken.

 

[sourland]

Physically it shows no signs of being male.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Comb and wattles about the same size as nearby hens, legs too, and I see no evidence of rooster saddle or tail feathers. However, I see your confusion - because according to Meyer's Poultry, BSL hens are black with a slightly goldish neck, and males are black with gray barring. So by coloring, it's a cockerel. By features, it's a pullet.

Beats the heck out of me. I'd say you have a very special chicken!

 

[Holdthechicken]

I wonder if this a hen feathered male.. being barred it’s definitely a male, or so you would think if it’s a black sex link.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I think it's a female but not a black sex link.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Where did you get this bird? The legs don't look particularly yellowish, while the most common black sexlink hybrids have yellow legs. I wonder if perhaps you ended up with a Cuckoo Marans instead and she's a pullet after all?

 

[HennyPenny44]

Where did you get this bird? The legs don't look particularly yellowish, while the most common black sexlink hybrids have yellow legs. I wonder if perhaps you ended up with a Cuckoo Marans instead and she's a pullet after all?

I got this one from Tractor Supply courtesy of Hoover’s Hatchery. I considered that but at 8 months, wouldn’t it be laying? That’s the oldest any of my hens waited until laying their first egg.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I got this one from Tractor Supply courtesy of Hoover’s Hatchery. I considered that but at 8 months, wouldn’t it be laying? That’s the oldest any of my hens waited until laying their first egg.

Not necessarily. I had one wait 9 months. Especially since it’s into fall. She might choose to wait till spring.

 

[HennyPenny44]

Thanks for all the replies! I don’t think it’s either a male or female since it doesn’t fully behave like either. Oddest chicken I’ve had in almost 5 years. I guess I was trying to get more info on hermaphrodite or gynadomorph chickens since I suspect I have one.

 

[BDutch]

I got this one from Tractor Supply courtesy of Hoover’s Hatchery. I considered that but at 8 months, wouldn’t it be laying? That’s the oldest any of my hens waited until laying their first egg.

Maybe it takes longer to mature because (s)he had a poor start.