Can Guinea Fowl Sex Change?

[SulkyBantam]

anyone ever heard of this or had it happen?

 

[the_peanut_coop]

Um... no why????

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

anyone ever heard of this or had it happen?

Partial changes from female to male (behavior and secondary sexual characteristics) have been reported in chickens, especially as a result of some hormonal diseases. So, I would guess that the same could occur in guinea fowl, though I’ve not heard about it in this species. Do you have one that has seemed to change sex?

 

[SulkyBantam]

Partial changes from female to male (behavior and secondary sexual characteristics) have been reported in chickens, especially as a result of some hormonal diseases. So, I would guess that the same could occur in guinea fowl, though I’ve not heard about it in this species. Do you have one that has seemed to change sex?

Yes, I know about the rooster sex changing. I had a 'guinea-hen' who seemed to 'become' a roo.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Yes, I know about the rooster sex changing. I had a 'guinea-hen' who seemed to 'become' a roo.

Interesting! How old was it when it changed? Had it ever laid eggs? Did it change mates?

 

[JohnBStant]

Partial changes from female to male (behavior and secondary sexual characteristics) have been reported in chickens, especially as a result of some hormonal diseases. So, I would guess that the same could occur in guinea fowl, though I’ve not heard about it in this species. Do you have one that has seemed to change sex?

I have 2 male guineas somehow I'm getting guinea eggs how is this possible?

 

[R2elk]

I have 2 male guineas somehow I'm getting guinea eggs how is this possible?

Sounds like you have misidentified the sex of your birds. Males cannot lay eggs.

 

[SamLockwood]

anyone ever heard of this or had it happen?

No. Beyond a couple of amphibian species I don't know of any animal species where this really happens.

With chickens, I've heard of some that get reproductive system damage or diseases that will take on secondary sexual characteristics (such as a hen with a damaged ovary that grows larger wattles and starts behaving like a rooster), but even then they don't adopt full sexual characteristcs (egg-laying or the ability to fertilize eggs).

I've never heard of it happening with guinea fowl. Most likely it's the fact that there's a lot of articles about how you can sex guinea fowl by their wattle or casque (helmet) shape, all of which are wrong.