I believe I have a hermaphrodite chicken

[CityFarmerRob]

To post videos you need to upload them to YouTube or some other platform then paste the link here

It would have been nice to find out definitively one way or the other. But I'm not willing to kill the bird to satisfy curiosity. To me this just started as a question to the community because I was perplexed by something I had come across and considered it greatly before I ever brought it up because I knew how silly it sounded to me anyway. So I'm sure that there's somebody out there or lots of people who are going to have a number of things to say, unfortunately I doubt many of them will be constructive or useful. But for me the fact that I find out from the community that there are more birds out there that are exhibiting traits and behaviors of both male and female it's pretty interesting and so as far as this is concerned my curiosity is satisfied. I'll keep my eye on him, he is a beautiful bird! Thanks everybody who added to the understanding of what could cause something like this to happen with your stories and information and I guess thanks to everyone else even if they only made it more colorful.

 

[CityFarmerRob]

@CityFarmerRob Did your rooster have worms?

No the vet said they did not find any parasitic or bacterial infection or anything like that and the birds seemed extremely healthy which was also very good to know

 

[NatJ]

This really makes me wonder what kind of vet your "Dr. Dan" is supposed to be, as a real veterinarian that "keeps more than a hundred chickens himself" would know that this is not the case.

I don't have any trouble believing it. It's surprising how many things can be unknown by people, even intelligent people who are otherwise well educated, and who even have some experience with chickens.

Just for an example, there are many people who don't know that in chickens the mother determines the sex of the offspring (because many people learn about the mammal XY system and are never told that any other system even can exist. So they assume that all animals use the one system they learned about.) A person can raise chickens for their entire life and never realize that, unless someone points it out. There are many other points that are equally obvious after you know them, but not obvious if you don't know what to look for.

 

[jpalmatier83]

I mean at this point, a game cam vid of the bird in question laying an egg doesn’t seem like a big ask to ease your mind. In fact, idk that anyone has asked yet, has the bird laid another egg? How often does a “real hermaphrodite chicken” lay eggs?

The recorders are cheap and it’s easy to upload to YouTube. Hell, they’re probably cheaper than the vet visit.

If the response is that “at this point a hemaphrodite chicken only lays one egg and a dry crushed shell, ever” I have no response.

Cheers

 

[CityFarmerRob]

I don't have any trouble believing it. It's surprising how many things can be unknown by people, even intelligent people who are otherwise well educated, and who even have some experience with chickens.

Just for an example, there are many people who don't know that in chickens the mother determines the sex of the offspring (because many people learn about the mammal XY system and are never told that any other system even can exist. So they assume that all animals use the one system they learned about.) A person can raise chickens for their entire life and never realize that, unless someone points it out. There are many other points that are equally obvious after you know them, but not obvious if you don't know what to look for.

You know I refrained from posting this because it's really only hearsay, but my neighbor is a good old boy in his seventies, when he was a young boy and he was raised up on a farm until he was in his twenties and they raise chickens. When I told him of what I thought was going on, his reply was"oh yeah you'll have that sometimes and yeah sometimes they'll eggs. I said excuse me, you're the first person who said anything like that. And he told me that on the farm they would let the mother hen raise a clutch or two of eggs and yeah you would get roosters and hens, but they would only kill the roosters if they needed it for food or they were causing a problem so on his farm they always had several roosters and so I think in this environment where nobody wants a rooster but everybody wants a hen for eggs, every time a rooster is identified it's gotten rid of. So maybe this happens more then we understand because of the attitude towards roosters, which by the way I think make a wonderful pet.! When I got Vick home today I let him walk around a little bit in the front yard on his leash and several people did stop and say how cool that was to see a rooster or a chicken on a leash. And why not, anybody can walk a dog but it takes a special kind of someone to walk a chicken! So like I said no matter what Vic is or is it, the fact that this is an actuality is awesome and if we can talk about it seriously and professionally I think there's a lot more here to understand and that is really awesome! Don't mean to ramble, thank you for your comment and raise awesome chickens!

 

[CityFarmerRob]

It's definitely a rooster, the high posture and large tail and comb show that, and I agree that it might be a hen squeezing through. They're actually surprisingly good at sneaking!

And when the vet first saw it he said that's exactly what he said, that is definitely a rooster. Then he also told me how " sex reversal " works and with everything else that has gone on with this bird he agreed that it was very plausible. And I believe some of what makes this bird fit that particular condition is the fact that having only been born one to up to three days apart from all the other birds and when the other males began to show as roosters this one didn't until about a month later and up until then they thought it was a hen. And it's now my understanding that that makes sense with this type of condition as the male hormones take over the bird becomes more like a rooster on the outside and the end and the female hormones are lessened and reduced and basically it's a male from there on out because a female parts have been made dormant. So he said it was highly unlikely that this bird would ever lay another egg, if it ended in fact lay the first one. But he's interested in what comes of the egg, it's in my incubator. So I guess that's the rub, the only way to prove this at this point would be to dissect the bird and like I said I'm not willing to do that, so maybe we'll never know for sure. And again I agree it looks like a rooster, but if this little journey has taught me anything it's that it is possible and to me that'll be enough. Thank you for the comment!

 

[NatJ]

the only way to prove this at this point would be to dissect the bird and like I said I'm not willing to do that, so maybe we'll never know for sure.

No chicken lives forever. Whenever this one does die, you might try dissection then, as a way to finally settle the matter.

 

[CityFarmerRob]

So, as I and others predicted. The vet didn't really tell you anything you didn't know already. That you have what looks like a rooster.

I'm sorry you paid $170 for that.

Don't be, it was never about proving something to anyone but myself. And the moment that I found that it was possible and even with the slightest remote this is that, in my opinion to not act on that would be a loss and at only $170 to have a professional that I know and respect adds to the validity of the possibility. And while that might not be anything to most, it is something to me.

 

[CityFarmerRob]

No chicken lives forever. Whenever this one does die, you might try dissection then, as a way to finally settle the matter.

Absolutely and when that day comes then before this bird is disposed of or whatever it will be looked at medically for any answers that it might have. I'll be practical about that, but I won't prematurely end its life, the life of a healthy bird and a beautiful one at that for any type of scientific curiosity. But yes absolutely, if the bird ever dies or when it's time comes I would hope to be able to have it looked at medically. So I guess we'll see, if we're patient enough I suppose.?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

one to up to three days apart from all the other birds and when the other males began to show as roosters this one didn't until about a month later and up until then they thought it was a hen

Some males take longer to develop. I've had long gaps of time between brothers in my batches sometimes