- May 11, 2010
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Yes, you can have 'manly' hens in a all female flock. They are usually the dominant hen, and while they display many male characteristics, you rarely see them tidbitting to other hens. Though they will mount-but is usually not sexually oriented, it's a dominance thing. These gals are all about the pecking order: I'm the boss, I will eat first, and you will get out of my way. These gals while displaying a larger comb and wattles will continue to lay eggs.
When I see a manly hen who is has a good set of spurs, I start to think of a hormonal issue caused by either an infection of the reproductive tract, or neoplasia (cancer) that has altered the normal sequence of hormone production. Since the female hormones are no longer present or have decreased to the point that the body is tricked into thinking 'male' then the male hormones kick in and you start to see those large combs, wattles, and spurs, and even attempts to crow. They kinda make me think of a human female with poly-cystic ovary disease who grow beards, increase body mass, and get a deeper voice.
As to the health of your bird, who knows? You can have an ultrasound performed on her to see if there is a mass but it might be so small that it can't be seen. If she is happy, healthy, and doing well, just keep those spurs cut. And let's see a picture of her!
This is Sassy Sue. She normally has much larger wattles and comb but she's molting in this picture. Many folks have seen other photos of her and thought she was a young rooster. However, this hen does not have spurs nor does she crow. But she's the boss!
When I see a manly hen who is has a good set of spurs, I start to think of a hormonal issue caused by either an infection of the reproductive tract, or neoplasia (cancer) that has altered the normal sequence of hormone production. Since the female hormones are no longer present or have decreased to the point that the body is tricked into thinking 'male' then the male hormones kick in and you start to see those large combs, wattles, and spurs, and even attempts to crow. They kinda make me think of a human female with poly-cystic ovary disease who grow beards, increase body mass, and get a deeper voice.
As to the health of your bird, who knows? You can have an ultrasound performed on her to see if there is a mass but it might be so small that it can't be seen. If she is happy, healthy, and doing well, just keep those spurs cut. And let's see a picture of her!
This is Sassy Sue. She normally has much larger wattles and comb but she's molting in this picture. Many folks have seen other photos of her and thought she was a young rooster. However, this hen does not have spurs nor does she crow. But she's the boss!
