Rooster saddle feathers on a HEN!

[Ilovejesus]

Has anyone had a Hen after molting grew in rooster type saddle feathers? Looks funny.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

View attachment 1619386 Has anyone had a Hen after molting grew in rooster type saddle feathers? Looks funny.

An older hen? Sometimes hens get their one functioning ovary damaged, and the other ovary kicks in with testosterone to compensate. Sometimes a hen becomes a rooster visually, but will remain a hen internally.

 

[Ilovejesus]

An older hen? Sometimes hens get their one functioning ovary damaged, and the other ovary kicks in with testosterone to compensate. Sometimes a hen becomes a rooster visually, but will remain a hen internally.

Wow. I didn’t know that. She is about 18 months or so just went through her first molt.

 

[sourland]

I've seen it happen one time in an older RIR hen where after a molt she apparently transitioned from hen to rooster. @oldhenlikesdogs, has nailed the probable cause. The bird that my friend had looked and acted exactly like a rooster - to the point of tidbitting, crowing and breeding hens. Needless to say it was incapable of siring chicks.