I believe I have a hermaphrodite chicken

[CityFarmerRob]

I found male to female but not naturally. Scientists were trying to learn what controls sexual development in eggs. By injecting some things and/or snipping out the genes that control the production of other things, they did get both genetic females to develop as males and genetic males to develop as females.

It is reported on here:
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8284; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098284
Received: 27 March 2023 / Revised: 28 April 2023 / Accepted: 29 April 2023 / Published: 5 May 2023
Xiuan Zhang is an author

The abstract (red added by me):
"Sex determination and differentiation are processes by which a bipotential gonad adopts either a testicular or ovarian cell fate, and secondary sexual characteristics adopt either male or female developmental patterns. In birds, although genetic factors control the sex determination program, sex differentiation is sensitive to hormones, which can induce sex reversal when disturbed. Although these sex-reversed birds can form phenotypes opposite to their genotypes, none can experience complete sex reversal or produce offspring under natural conditions. Promising evidence indicates that the incomplete sex reversal is associated with cell autonomous sex identity (CASI) of avian cells, which is controlled by genetic factors. However, studies cannot clearly describe the regulatory mechanism of avian CASI and sex development at present, and these factors require further exploration. In spite of this, the abundant findings of avian sex research have provided theoretical bases for the progress of gender control technologies, which are being improved through interdisciplinary co-operation and will ultimately be employed in poultry production. In this review, we provide an overview of avian sex determination and differentiation and comprehensively summarize the research progress on sex reversal in birds, especially chickens. Importantly, we describe key issues faced by applying gender control systems in poultry production and chronologically summarize the development of avian sex control methods. In conclusion, this review provides unique perspectives for avian sex studies and helps scientists develop more advanced systems for sex regulation in birds."

I found the details in the rest of the article very interesting. It does get a bit dense and jargony, though. I've had enough anatomy and physiology classes and maybe poked around in peer reviewed publications to follow most of it but had to look up some vocabulary and concepts.

I do not think this contradicts Dr Jacquie Jacob's statements. She wrote that viable sperm has been reported to be found. She didn't say much about the circumstances. It could have been found by surgically removing the sperm from the ovotestes, possibly after the death of the chicken.

That is really fascinating! It's my understanding that the only way to prove or disprove any of this as an actuality would be just that to dissect the bird and that would answer it. Like I've already said that's not going to happen until he passes on his own. But I agree with the overall theme of that that they're just not enough scientific information out there that is in one spot collective and concise that people can turn to regarding this particular subject. And yes if our understanding was improved, things like this could definitely impact the and there is a lot of good information out there just seems like it's scattered and somewhat hidden from the public. It seems that more has been accomplished on this subject here in this forum than anywhere else I've found. Please keep them coming!

 

[CityFarmerRob]

That is really fascinating! It's my understanding that the only way to prove or disprove any of this as an actuality would be just that to dissect the bird and that would answer it. Like I've already said that's not going to happen until he passes on his own. But I agree with the overall theme of that that they're just not enough scientific information out there that is in one spot collective and concise that people can turn to regarding this particular subject. And yes if our understanding was improved, things like this could definitely impact the and there is a lot of good information out there just seems like it's scattered and somewhat hidden from the public. It seems that more has been accomplished on this subject here in this forum than anywhere else I've found. Please keep them coming!

Impact the industry. So many noises around here

 

[CityFarmerRob]

It is interesting.

It says, "In general, spontaneous sex reversal has been described as the result of pathological conditions (eg. ovarian cyst or tumor, diseases adrenal glands) which case the left ovary to regress. Residual tissue in the right ovary proliferates in the absence of a functional left ovary. This regenerated right gonad is known as an ovotestis and may contain tissue characteristics of the ovary, the tested, or both. There are reports of the ovotestes producing semen capable of fathering offspring. Most, however, will never lay an egg or sire offspring."

It looks like any possibility of an egg or semen from a sex reversed chicken has to be from a hen to rooster change. Agreed?

And, yes, I agree it is a valid source.

And I thank you for the comment again. Like I've tried to point out to so many that have said this ain't going to happen, that's a dang rooster and this is a joke or hoax. Some people will hang on to what they think they know like it's gold, I'd rather have the truth. And all this discussion has proven that this is a reality and does and can happen. And if there's still people out there that says it can't happen ,well I don't know if there's anything we can do for them.

 

[Krugerrand]

And all this discussion has proven that this is a reality and does and can happen.

Pardon me for not following everything correctly. Can you summarize what is a reality and does / can happen.

Thank you

 

[CityFarmerRob]

Pardon me for not following everything correctly. Can you summarize what is a reality and does / can happen.

Thank you

Sure. It started with a bird that was returned to me because they said they thought it was a hen but now it looks like it's a rooster because it's crowing and all of that and trying to mate. I had given this person six or eight birds I can't remember I gave so many away. And all these birds were hatching an incubator no more than two maybe three days apart at the most. She returned one bird as a rooster and that was the right time that all those birds began to show maturity. About a month later or so she called me about another one. Well when I got it home I couldn't put it with the rest of the birds so I isolated it in a cage by itself. Couple weeks later I found an egg in the box that he perched on, he like that spot for some reason. And I posted this and then that's when all this happened. So at this point he's been medically examined by someone I trust and no is qualified and there is no way to determine that he is what is believed by some as a"sex reversal" bird. And I heard this term first from a specialist from OSU. And the gist of it is there's no way to determine if this bird is at without dissecting it. But the fastening point has been brought to light is that this can happen and sometimes does. Weather Vic is just a rooster or one of these birds has brought about much of this discussion. And whether my bird is one of these or not, to me, is not as important as the reality that this is possible.

 

[Krugerrand]

Sure. It started with a bird that was returned to me because they said they thought it was a hen but now it looks like it's a rooster because it's crowing and all of that and trying to mate. I had given this person six or eight birds I can't remember I gave so many away. And all these birds were hatching an incubator no more than two maybe three days apart at the most. She returned one bird as a rooster and that was the right time that all those birds began to show maturity. About a month later or so she called me about another one. Well when I got it home I couldn't put it with the rest of the birds so I isolated it in a cage by itself. Couple weeks later I found an egg in the box that he perched on, he like that spot for some reason. And I posted this and then that's when all this happened. So at this point he's been medically examined by someone I trust and no is qualified and there is no way to determine that he is what is believed by some as a"sex reversal" bird. And I heard this term first from a specialist from OSU. And the gist of it is there's no way to determine if this bird is at without dissecting it. But the fastening point has been brought to light is that this can happen and sometimes does. Weather Vic is just a rooster or one of these birds has brought about much of this discussion. And whether my bird is one of these or not, to me, is not as important as the reality that this is possible.

To reduce confusion, can we all agree that
HEN = has lady parts: ovary and oviduct.
ROOSTER = has guy parts: testes
OTHER = some combination of both parts

If we can agree to that, I guess that leads me to ask ... what is a "sex reversal" bird? Is that
A) a HEN that at some point behaves like a typical rooster?
B) a ROOSTER that at some point behaves like typical hen?
C) a OTHER that switches which reproductive parts are active?
D) a ROOSTER that happened to develop lady parts later in life?
E) something else (please explain)

It sounds to me like you are saying option D ... but I can't wrap my head around that.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Were there some here that said it wasn't possible in general or it just wasn't what happened with Vic?
The subject of a hen with a damaged ovary that then takes on a male appearance and behaviors has been brought up on BYC enough that I wouldn't think anyone would still say that's impossible.
Ya this whole discussion is hard to follow which in itself is amazing because it seems to just go around in circles.

 

[NatJ]

To reduce confusion, can we all agree that
HEN = has lady parts: ovary and oviduct.
ROOSTER = has guy parts: testes
OTHER = some combination of both parts

If we can agree to that, I guess that leads me to ask ... what is a "sex reversal" bird? Is that
A) a HEN that at some point behaves like a typical rooster?
B) a ROOSTER that at some point behaves like typical hen?
C) a OTHER that switches which reproductive parts are active?
D) a ROOSTER that happened to develop lady parts later in life?
E) something else (please explain)

It sounds to me like you are saying option D ... but I can't wrap my head around that.

The scientifically documented cases of "sex reversal" have generally been option A of your list, except that they not only behave like a rooster, they look like a rooster too. Sometimes they go back to laying eggs (typical hen behavior) while still looking like a rooster.

Someone recently provided a source telling that scientists caused option B to happen.

We have pretty well established that OP's bird cannot be option A, because it has barring (inherited from a barred mother, because the father was not barred.) That proves the bird must have two Z chromosomes, making it male.

Option B would not allow the bird to lay eggs anyway.

So neither of those options explains OP's bird, even though both are interesting in their own right.

For options C and D, I have not seen any scientific documentation of either one happening quite like that.

There is an option E as well: some chickens do have some male-type reproductive organs and some female-type reproductive organs. There have been several references to one that belonged to another poster (that one was verified by an autopsy after death. OP's bird is still alive and well, so no autopsy of it so far.)

And option F, which has some overlap with both A and C: when a hen (female chromosomes, lays eggs, etc) develops the behavior and appearance of a rooster (option A), she sometimes develops testicular tissue as well. That is possible because a hen only has one functional ovary. The other one just sits there doing nothing, unless it starts becoming a testicle. I have not seen any documented cases where that testicular tissue progresses to a fully functional testicle, so not quite your option C, but somewhat close (since a hen like that can probably still revert to being a normal hen.)

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

. They are a tree that often spreads by runners. Since the runners are then all genetically identical to the source, entire paw paw patches in the wild can be all be the exact same genetically and produce no fruit.

I know that paw paw patch! It’s growing next to my house, and they’re all a bunch of slackers!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

she’d grown a full blown spur on one leg & the beginnings of another on the other

Lots of hens grow spurs. I have like 5 right now running arounf.