I believe I have a hermaphrodite chicken

[CityFarmerRob]

I've been keeping birds for almost 2 years which is not a long time but I incubated some eggs to see what would happen what long story short I gave several chickens and I believed by texting them when they were young around 5 weeks 6 weeks that they were female and these had been pulled from a lot earlier that I had tried to sex which we all know is difficult. Well the bird was returned to me because it turned out to be a rooster and so I put it by itself and that's where it's been for the last two weeks well this morning the old nesting box it decided to perch in and poop in had an egg in it and even though there's hens around the coop and in other areas there is not one able to get in there he has been absolutely alone. I know it's rare they say about 1 in 10,000 and it's much more likely to be looked at as a hoax than an actuality but I walked out today and that's what I found.

 

[CityFarmerRob]

That wire mesh has really big openings. Could a hen have squeezed in? Mine have surprised me by squeezing through small openings.

No I considered that for a brief second but all my hens are locked up and the wire around them is hardware cloth so it's half inch square. The only other birds that can get in there and I have seen them in there are sparrows. Now if a sparrow lay this egg I should have seen exploded Sparrow all over the place because it's regular size egg.

 

[LaFleche]

The egg might have already been there under the bedding when you put the cockerel in.

Candle the egg or put it in a glass full of water to see how fresh it really is.

 

[casportpony]

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[The Moonshiner]

Wow, it does seem like you specialize in the exotic & unusual!
I do have a solution to this cockerel that is being discussed & accused of gender dysphoria & producing an egg. I’m not from Missouri, but I have the “Show Me State” attitude.
Simply put this magic cockerel in a more secure cage with a lock & a good security camera or game came & produce video footage of an egg being laid & I will believe you. Until then, you might as well try convincing me that your dog laid that egg!

I'm starting to think it was the dog that put the egg in there.
That makes as much sense as anything else going on in here.

 

[NatJ]

In my opinion, that’s 100% a rooster. I don’t know how the egg got there, but it sure didn’t come out of him. There was a thread like this a while back, turns out the poster was just faking it to see how many people would believe him.

I agree that OP's bird LOOKS like a rooster. Whether it is a (very rare) hen that lays eggs while looking like a rooster, or a (less rare) case of a prank, I can't say for sure.

But it is possible-- and scientifically documented-- for a chicken to externally appear as a rooster but actually be a hen capable of laying eggs.

The ones I best remember from previous research were hens that grew up looking female, and laid eggs, and later took on a male appearance. They later returned to laying eggs, while retaining the male appearance. OP's story is a bit different, because this bird had the male feathers & comb before the first egg appeared, rather than growing up as a normal female and then changing later.

I am watching with interest to see what happens next

 

[EggSighted4Life]

laying a fertilized egg a self fertilized egg would be quite another!

Welcome to BYC!

Parthenogenesis (self fertilization) is a thing..

https://www.cacklehatchery.com/can-...arthenogenesis has been,First egg in a clutch

https://www.thepoultrysite.com/arti...-normal-fertilization-and-embryonic-mortality

This is regarding quail.. but still avian in example..

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119391485

Some hens have developed the male specific saddle feathers.. usually when an ovary is damaged.. and interestingly enough.. egg follicles are only released from one of the ovaries (maybe the other one produces hormones??).. In theory an ovarian cyst or tumor for example of possible "damage" that could come and go..

Also.. some folks might wanna breeding project for male feathered hens.. I've always thought they were pretty.. but some folks can't keep roosters.. I mean it's a terrible ideal and so frustrating when nothing we used to "know" holds true anymore.. to SOME degree.. on the other hand.. how amazing is it when you can NEVER know it all?!!

A good little mystery, assuming the OP is sincere!

 

[CityFarmerRob]

Only 3 options I can think of if there was no human interference.
1. The egg was already there.
2. A hen laid an egg in there or near there and it got moved around.
3. Something took the egg from the hens are to where the rooster is planning to eat it, but for whatever reason didn't and left it behind.

But let me say I highly doubt it's aliens. Don't want anybody to think I'm that crazy.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Can you walk all six at the same time? Like one of those fancy city dog walkers.
Now I'm more interested in seeing a video of that.

 

[NatJ]

We all know that roosters don't lay eggs, the issue with Vic was that I believe he started out as a hen and then took on the outer characteristics of a rooster, a condition called"sex reversal" which is a real thing. And this type of event has apparently happened in the past.

Except that the point about the barring proves Vic never was a hen.

The father had no barring. He has two Z sex chromosomes, and neither one of them has barring on it. So he could not give barring to Vic.

The mother had barring. So she has a Z chromosome with barring, and a W chromsome that makes her female.

The mother gave Vic the Z chromosome (with barring, and makes him a male.)
If the mother had given Vic the W chromsome, Vic would be female, but not have any barring.

So it comes down to the very simple matter of which chromosome Vic inherited from his mother. Because Vic shows barring, he must be genetically male (ZZ sex chromosomes), not female (ZW sex chromosomes.)