Rooster Chat

[bald Rooster]

Hermaphrodite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


For other uses, see Hermaphrodite (disambiguation).

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Mating Cornu aspersum (garden snails)​

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In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.[1] Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separate sexes.[2] In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which either partner can act as the "female" or "male". For example, the great majority of tunicates, pulmonate snails, opisthobranch snails and slugs are hermaphrodites. Hermaphroditism is also found in some fish species and to a lesser degree in other vertebrates. Most plants are also hermaphrodites.
Historically, the term hermaphrodite has also been used to describe ambiguous genitalia and gonadal mosaicism in individuals of gonochoristic species, especially human beings. The word intersex has come into preferred usage for humans, since the word hermaphrodite is considered to be misleading and stigmatizing,[3][4] as well as "scientifically specious and clinically problematic".[5]
A rough estimate of the number of hermaphroditic animal species is 65,000.[6] Since the estimated total number of animal species is 8.6 million, the percentage of animal species that are hermaphroditic is about 0.7%. Arthropods are the phylum with the largest number of species. Most hermaphroditic species exhibit some degree of self-fertilization. The distribution of self-fertilization rates among animals is similar to that of plants, suggesting that similar processes are operating to direct the evolution of selfing in animals and plants.[6]

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I believe most people know what a hermaphrodite is, and that's always a possibility. It isn't the same as one sex becoming biologically another, that occurs in only a few species and chickens aren't one of them. So stating that a chicken actually started out as one sex and is now the opposite sex is impossible. A chicken becoming more masculine or feminine from improperly working hormones isn't the same as reproductive parts changing.

 

[bald Rooster]

Excuse me
but
Sex-Change Chicken: Gertie the Hen Becomes Bertie the Cockerel

By Remy Melina | March 31, 2011 03:25pm ET

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Under the right circumstances, a hen can actually transform herself into a cock.
Credit: Gvision | Dreamstime
A British couple was surprised to witness their pet hen Gertie gradually transforming into a rooster. No, this is not an early April Fools' Day prank. Chickens really can undergo natural sex changes.
The first sign that something was afoot with Gertie was that she stopped laying eggs, her owners, Jim and Jeanette Howard of Huntingdon, England, told the local media. Next, she began strutting around their garden and crowing like a rooster. Over the next few weeks, Gertie put on weight and developed wattles beneath her chin, a feature normally exhibited only by males. She also grew dark brown plumage and a scarlet cockscomb atop her head, both male traits.
''I know it sounds ridiculous but I can assure you it's all true," Jim Howard told cambridge-news.co.uk. "People think it's a bit weird but apparently its one of those things that does happen

"Sex reversals do, in fact, occur—although not very frequently," states a 2000 report published by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "To date, however, spontaneous sex reversal from male to female has not been reported."​

That's because the mechanics of this biological phenomenon seem to work in only one direction. Normally, female chickens have just one functional ovary, on their left side. Although two sex organs are present during the embryonic stages of all birds, once a chicken's female genes kick in, it typically develops only the left ovary. The right gonad, which has yet to be defined as an ovary, testes, or both (called an ovotestis), typically remains dormant.
Certain medical conditions—such as an ovarian cyst, tumor or diseased adrenal gland—can cause a chicken's left ovary to regress. In the absence of a functional left ovary, the dormant right sex organ may begin to grow, according to Mike Hulet, an associate professor at Penn State University's department of poultry science.
"If the activated right gonad is an ovotestis or testes, it will begin secreting androgens," Hulet told Life's Little Mysteries. Androgens are the class of hormones that are largely responsible for male characteristics and are normally secreted by the testes. "The production of androgen would cause the hen to undergo behavioral changes and make it act more like a rooster."
The hen does not completely change into a rooster, however. This transition is limited to making the bird phenotypically male, meaning that although the hen will develop physical characteristics that will make her look male, she will remain genetically female. So while the hen will no longer lay eggs, she won't be fathering any offspring, either.
As for Gertie, the Howards have renamed the hen Bertie after her sex change.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Honestly i do not belive this.Chickens may get male features but do not have the reproductive system of one.

 

[bald Rooster]

Honestly i do not belive this.Chickens may get male features but do not have the reproductive system of one.

The last paragraph basically says what you are saying!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

This thread hopefully hasn't died as there's a lot of good information and stories on it!

I just have a quickie:

I hatched a beautiful blue EExGCM cockerel, but I have one too many boys so I found a perfect home for him. A ranch with lots of hens and an old rooster they want to "retire" as he's gotten mean and isn't doing his job well. Fiero is only ten weeks but they have a grow out coop for him to be safe in while he gets used to being away from his family. He was raised with a faverolle broody and a very attentive Silver Phoenix adoptive father. I had no idea a rooster would adopt a chick that for sure wasn't his! But he did, and these three have been together as a family these past months.

This experience has taught me so much about how wonderful roosters can be. Stunning and social, of course, everyone can see that. Flock protectors, that's their main duty. But father figures and role models? That's a new one to me!

Here's Fiero on the day before he's being given away and him and his "mom and dad". I'm gunna miss the tyke but I can't have him miss this opportunity to be part of a larger flock!

Cheers

 

[Amelia Egghart]

And I totally cried all night. Haha. But really, this is perfect for him....after he recovers from being away from his momma!



Poor girl has had ZERO privacy! Lol

 

[meetthebubus]

I'm sure he'll enjoy all his new girls, that's very unselfish of you, I hope my roo never gets mean

 

[Amelia Egghart]

I'm sure he'll enjoy all his new girls, that's very unselfish of you, I hope my roo never gets mean

Thank you. I'm really lucky to have found this for him. He'd have a home here, I'm technically allowed twice as many roosters as I currently have, but I have one neighbor who hates me and have gotten some flack since little Fiero started crowing (at 8 weeks!). This place he's going to has PEACOCKS so obviously noise is not a concern. He can crow his little heart out!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

My eldest roo is three years and he's become a "butt biter." As in, if you're crouched down to pull weeds or something, watch out! But he runs about as gracefully as a raging bull so you can generally hear him coming (or feel the ground quaking). All it takes is to turn around and look at him and he skids to a stop in a cloud of dust and starts pecking at the ground like he was just looking for food....not to bite your butt. Nope! Not at all!