Hen-feathered blue bantam rooster

[Amer]

He looks like a 100% roo to me!!! And I wanted to comment that I have read many places, that hens CAN get spurs too. I have 3 pullets who all have spur bulbs--I'll be sure to post on here if they ever bud into actual spurs! AND, sorry if you already know this--but you said "I'm sure he'll crow in the mornings"--I've been through 5 (accidental) roosters this past year (different breeds) and every single one crows off and on all day, every day. The morning sunrise crow is an old wives tale. Roos are also way smarter than I could have ever known before having so many!!! Ours crowed to communicate every time vs random. Always as a warning, like, when they couldn't see what's making noise (like in our alley), when a full moon appeared, when they wanted snacks, when each annnd every hen was about to lay, while they we're laying, when they were done laying...

I have a hen with big spurs too, no pics though. They’re like half an inch long.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I know the OP is convinced this is a rooster, but it really looks like a hen to me.

 

[black_cat]

I know the OP is convinced this is a rooster, but it really looks like a hen to me.

Agreed!

 

[JadeFarms]

Hens can act like roosters and have spurs and sometimes even crow. I really think it’s a hen because roos develop saddle feathers are prominent sickle feathers before spurs. Also Andalusians are not hen feathered, it’s a dominant gene. Do know where he comes from? Or could you find out?

 

[JedJackson]

You have a mystery on your hands that won't be easily solved. The bird's comb, face and wattles look male, and it has some squirrely tail feathers that look kind of male. But otherwise the plumage looks very much like a female's. So, some possibilities are in order.

1. It's a female. I wouldn't discount this possibility. Looks can be deceiving.

2. It's a female with a damaged ovary. This could account for the large comb, wattles and also the masculine behavior, and it can occur in any breed.

3. It is intersexed, not entirely one or the other, but a type of mutation.

4. Hen feathered male. But how, unless it is a mix with some hen feathered breed like Sebright, Campine or henny game fowl? Again, looks can be deceiving. It looks like a pure Andalusian bantam, but maybe it is not. Maybe back in its ancestry this gene got in through crossbreeding, and by some wonderful combination of chance it is now expressing itself in your bird.

5. Unknown nutritional deficiency or mutation.

Best bet is to just keep your eye on it and note its behaviors. Does it actually mate with hens? If so, is it fertile? I think must of us would love updates!

 

[rmattise]

Guys... please just believe me that this is a roo. I am an experienced chicken keeper here (I've had chickens my whole life - trust me, I know a rooster when I see one, especially one that is fully mature) and he exhibits all rooster behaviors, from fighting with my other roo to crowing all morning and dancing around (and mounting) my hens. I dont know what else I can do to convince you all except upload a video, and frankly, that's just too much effort.

Honestly, I'm a little offended at the replies to this thread. In my original post, I said it was DEFINITELY a roo - I've been asking for breed advice, not gender.

At this point, I'm going to assume he's a mixed breed. If anyone else has any ideas of a breed standard he might conform to though, I'm all ears.

The only breed standards that allow for hen feathering in roosters are Campine and Sebright, but according to Wikipedia it appears with less frequency in some other breeds, especially game breeds. Neither Campine nor Sebright have a recognized "blue" variety. If he didn't have hen feathering, he would conform closest to the Blue Andalusian bantam breed standard.

Edit: thank you Jed for writing a respectful, thought-out post with all possibilities, instead of only assuming that I'm incorrect. It's definitely possible that he could be infertile - I just brought him home and haven't had time to test that yet. In fact, the inventor of the Sebright breed, which is characterized by hen feathered roosters, linked infertility to some of them because of the feminine hormones at work to produce hen feathering. It's very possible, and could have been part of why someone gave him away in the first place.

 

[featherhead007]

I think she looks a little like Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. (Especially around the eyes)

 

[JedJackson]

It looks most like an Anadalusian, in my opinion. It also looks like a blue rose comb bantam, except for the comb, so maybe a second or third generation cross of that breed.

 

[JedJackson]

Guys... please just believe me that this is a roo. I am an experienced chicken keeper here (I've had chickens my whole life - trust me, I know a rooster when I see one, especially one that is fully mature) and he exhibits all rooster behaviors, from fighting with my other roo to crowing all morning and dancing around (and mounting) my hens. I dont know what else I can do to convince you all except upload a video, and frankly, that's just too much effort.

Honestly, I'm a little offended at the replies to this thread. In my original post, I said it was DEFINITELY a roo - I've been asking for breed advice, not gender.

At this point, I'm going to assume he's a mixed breed. If anyone else has any ideas of a breed standard he might conform to though, I'm all ears.

The only breed standards that allow for hen feathering in roosters are Campine and Sebright, but according to Wikipedia it appears with less frequency in some other breeds, especially game breeds. Neither Campine nor Sebright have a recognized "blue" variety. If he didn't have hen feathering, he would conform closest to the Blue Andalusian bantam breed standard.

Edit: thank you Jed for writing a respectful, thought-out post with all possibilities, instead of only assuming that I'm incorrect. It's definitely possible that he could be infertile - I just brought him home and haven't had time to test that yet. In fact, the inventor of the Sebright breed, which is characterized by hen feathered roosters, linked infertility to some of them because of the feminine hormones at work to produce hen feathering. It's very possible, and could have been part of why someone gave him away in the first place.

You are welcome. Whatever he is, he's cute!

 

[rmattise]

I was just thinking about blue rose comb bantam, too. They do come in a blue variety. Maybe his breeder threw in some Campine genetics somewhere along the line to correct for something?