Rooster laying eggs?!!

[Indyshent]

I watched a documentary just the other day in which they mentioned studies that have shown not only will hens sometimes take on the role of a rooster. But they can on rare occasion actually change sexually into a rooster and fertilize eggs. Crazy stuff!

That usually happens due to injury to an ovary. While chickens have two gonads, for whatever reason only one ovary develops (and it's almost always the left). Unlike mammals, chickens rely less on hormones for sexual development to the extent that a bird can be literally half male and half female. If the left side is a girl, "he" could lay eggs and fertilize the eggs of others (though at a disadvantage as he only has one teste). Gynardomorphs do not tend to be fertile, however. If the two halves develop differently (long wattles on one side is a typical indicator), the bird might actually be a gynandromorph, although I'm not seeing said indications based on that picture. Looks more like it's an overly masculine lady, which means you might want to give them "a real man"

 

[MrsAuberry00]

Your rooster turned out to be a hen, maybe mine will, too. IT still hasn't crowed and is very manly, but since we've gotten fertilized eggs I'm going to have to guess mine is actually a he.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

Oh, btw, maybe some pictures from a side view would be helpful in showing hackle and saddle feather areas better.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I have a black austrolorp (sp) that is 3 months old now. Thereabouts. She started "crowing" when she was about 2 months old. Very soft, soft crow, but still a crow. She (at the time) was living with 2 roosters (same age) and 9 other girls (very close in age).

I don't hear her crow anymore now. She barely has a comb.

Just one of those things.

 

[Tess6893]

Update just cracked open an egg from this same chicken one normal yolk then this. I soft shell tiny egg.when I cut it open you can see it has a little yolk of its own. Has anyone experienced this? An egg in an egg?

 

[Tess6893]

This is a pic of said egg

 

[Chickassan]

I've seen it but on a grander scale, still pretty neat.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Update just cracked open an egg from this same chicken one normal yolk then this. I soft shell tiny egg.when I cut it open you can see it has a little yolk of its own. Has anyone experienced this? An egg in an egg?

It happens often enough to be not unheard of

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Looks like a hen to me. Some hens, if you don't have a rooster, will begin to crow, become very dominant, their egg production may drop, and they might even try to mount the other hens.

I have had a dominant hen that was completely taking over the mating of other hens when we got rid of our roo. Was the weirdest thing I ever saw lol.

 

[chicks are life]

This is a pic of said egg

I LOVE the tiny yolk it is the cutest thing ever!!!!!!!