Help … my hen is growing is growing spurs…

[sourland]

Yes pictures would help but it sounds like your bird has gone through a hormonal sex change.

This is a very strong possibility. Sex change generally associated with ovarian problems/tumors sometimes occurs in chickens. I have seen it once in a RIR hen who around 4 or 5 years of age became masculine during a molt and developed roosterish hackle, saddle and tail feathers. She also grew spurs but never crowed. Something that I had read about but never witnessed until this occured.

 

[Whittni]

from Utah

 

[gryeyes]

A few hens in my flock have spurs, too. As a result, I do not consider spurs to be a gender determination. Oh, and hey, howdy! from the Western Sierra Foothills in California!.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Howdy!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, olly2611, and

! Happy you joined us! Good luck to you!!

 

[liz9910]

from California!

 

[NovaAman]

Welcome from Michigan...

 

[serenity62]

I am so relieved...today I received a WHITE egg and it could have ONLY come from the Brown Leghorn that I thought was going to be a rooster because one night I was in the coop examining everybody while they were quite on their roost and much to my dismay I came across these giant bumps on my BL hen's legs in the correct position to be spurs. I have 14 birds and so far three are very beautiful roosters but I really did not want one more rooster so I am happy that my little floppy combed BL hen is a she and not a he! What a wonderful thing this chicken raising has turned out to be. There is always some new development that is exciting and entertaining! I have been selling eggs at work and trading eggs for homeade wine, etc. All my friends love the different colored eggs and they are happy to have some really healthy local food to buy.

 

[melindajs]

My top hen ( part australorp) has become aggressive over the last week and today I notice she is growing a spur! I also think she might be molting. She hasn't laid for a few days, the other week she starting eating her eggs . So a couple of the comments here link up. Maybe she does need protein ?

 

[gander007]

We have a beautiful black Australorp hen. She looks like a hen – we have been told she is hen! She was part of a flock of three backyard hens and is 2 years old. Of that flock she was the lowest of the pecking order. She has never laid and egg but looks healthy and is beautiful looking – very elegant.

The top chook in the flock died two months ago and this chook (name is Nigella) stepped into the position of top chook.

Over the last six months her comb has grown larger but most disturbingly she has grown spurs.

She is quiet and loves a rub and does not display any aggression. She doesn’t crow and still clucks like her ‘sister’. She still looks like a hen – fat and squat and not lean like an Australorp rooster.

Does anyone have ideas of help? Have we got a Transgendered hen in our flock?

Got to see a photo of this ..