Chimera?

pgpoultry

Songster
10 Years
Oct 16, 2009
2,290
57
191
Wales
I posted this ?cockerel pic. on the Naked Neck site (though (s)he is not NN) as the face was strange. One perceptive member tole me it was probably a chimera, in this case a gynandromorph with both male and female genotype cells due to egg fertilisation by two sperms, I believe.

I've read up a bit on the condition, which is not exceptionally rare in chickens, I believe. Though the face is half and half, the feathers are mixed. There are pointed and rounded neck feathers, some saddle feathers and no colour blocks typical of a rooster.

The left side of the face has the look of a cockerel and the right of a pullet.

Can anyone tell me if there can be a male and female admixture of cells on the body, whilst not on the face?

What should I expect...a bird that lays eggs and crows about it, or a silent non-producer?




Many thanks for any enlightenment.
 
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Hi,thank you, here's pic of the whole body.


The neck feathers are odd in that some are pointed, looking typically male and some are rounded. The tail is quite upright...looking largely male, and there are saddle feathers, mainly falling to the left. He is about 17 weeks old. there is a small spur on the left leg, none on the right.His mother was La Fleche and his father may be the Naked Neck behind in this pic.

Thank you for your help.
 
Thank you, I have seen pics of the first one, but not of the second.

I am not at all sure what is going on with my bird...the feather pattern is a bit odd and the face really odd. Time will tell, I guess!
 
more pics of his entire body, but from this point of view, I see hackle feathers in his "Female" side, meaning he is not a female on that side, he is just missing one wattle,

The comb also seems lop sided- side with missing wattle has barely much spike development yet the other side has them well in progress.

pgpoultry, is the comb really like that? also maybe a picture showing his left side of face.. is his left face much more bare than the right?
 
The face looks quite different both sides with all the 'facial furniture ' much less on the right side and the comb flatter on the right, Kev. The facial feathers also look different.

He's a very fast mover, but I will try to get some other pics today if the threatened downpour is less than expected.

I will certainly take progressive pics. as it will, no doubt, become clearer as he takes on adult proportions. Maybe just a cockerel with 'undescended wattle''
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