Gender confused rooster?

[dianneS]

I have a full grown rooster, pointed hackle and saddle feathers, big tail feathers... he's a rooster for sure!

The strange thing is, he has not yet made any attempt at crowing, nor has he shown any interest in the girls? I'm as confused as he is!

What could be going on? Is he just a late bloomer or is there such a thing as a gender confused chicken? I really thought this guy was a hen right up until the appearance of the pointed hackle and saddle feathers. Now I just don't know what's going on. My other roosters never get into any confrontations with this guy since he's not confrontational with them.

This rooster is an unusual situation. I hatched him in my incubator from an egg from my light brahma hen, fertilized by my EE roosters. This hen is really really old, and of the numerous eggs of hers that I've tried to hatch I only got a full-term chick this one time. None of her other eggs would hatch, in the bator or under a broody. They develop, but they die around day15-18. I just assumed that this old hens eggs just aren't viable for hatching. They are fertile, but defective somehow.

Could this only offspring of hers be a defective bird too? He's a gorgeous rooster though. Coloring of a light brahma and feathers so white that they sparkle! He's got feathered legs a smaller comb, ear muffs and a face like an EE! A very handsom boy, but he doesn't seem to know he is a boy!

 

[Judy]

"Other roosters" is probably the key. He's been put in his place in the pecking order, which is not high. He's not allowed to crow or mate.

But he probably sneaks in a mating now and then when no one is looking; this might include you, you might be one of the roosters who outrank him!

 

[Goose and Fig]

Often times the lesser roo will not crow or even attempt to mate if there is a dominant roo in the picture. They don't have to ever have had a fight- it's just something I think the smart ones do- self-preservation

 

[Mahonri]

I have a Blue Wheaten roo that I hatched the end of April and he's never crowed and I've never seen him attempt to mate, but he's in the coop with my Geoffrey and I think that's the reason.

 

[big medicine]

Brahmas tend to be a slow maturing breed, my cockerels usually don't start crowing till maybe 10 months or older, your cross cockerel may be maturing more on a Brahma timeline.

As stated, the fact he is in a flock with mature cocks may also be reminding him to mind his manners a bit.

 

[impis]

There is a rare [ish] condition where hens develop the look of a rooster. It happens to one in about 100,000 hens - and can make them appear to have a 'sex change'. Basically, what happens is that their ovary or ovaries are damaged. The resulting change in hormones appears to turn the bird into a cockerel with all the attibutes of a cockerel, except, of course, that it cannot breed .

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...ed-Georgina-turned-cockerel-named-George.html

 

[magicpigeon]

I had a silkie roo once which was the size of pullet, didn't crow, and didn't know how to mount...I'm guessing there is such a thing as chicken transvestites

 

[Ontario chick]

This is a " VERY SMART ROOSTER " lying low. He is simply avoiding a disagreement with the MAIN ROO. I f you removed the Roo # 1, the Roo # 2 would step up. The Roo #2 is very likely going to be more laid back, and if you had any temperament issues with # 1 it's nice to have and " Understudy"