She has been a hen for a year nad now is looking like a roo

[Beecht]

I got my chickens well over a year ago... I had one roo, Joe, he was a very mean and nasty barred rock that tried to kill me on more than one occasion. I finally had to eat him... the rooster dinner was about 3 months ago.... Now one of my "hens", also a barred rock, is looking like a roo... her comb has doubled in size, her tail feathers are getting longer, her waddles (I believe that is the hangy down things) are enormus and she is getting the nubbins of spurs.... she still clucks like a hen, walks like a hen, and sits in the nest boxes like a hen..... Is there such a thing as sex shifting chinkens??

Any idea what is going on??

thanks for you help....
Terrie

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

When a roo is not present, it is not uncommon for the dominant hen to step into his role...to the point of attempting to crow.
It doesn't happen all the time but it does happen. She won't be able to produce sperm but she will likely do all the other 'roo duties'.

 

[Annabella]

My hen after a couple of years of laying changed into a rooster - crowing too!
She has never tried to "mate" the other hen.
She has grown lovely tail feather, spurs and her wattle and comb grew as well.

 

[Beecht]

Thank you for the answers. I was a bit freaked at this change in her.... as long as she doesn't get agressive, I'm ok with a transgender chicken...

 

[gritsar]

Is she/he laying?

It's not uncommon for a subordinate rooster to stay incognito (as much as possible) when there is a dominant, alpha roo around.

My subordinate roo barely looked like one until I re-homed my alpha. Seemingly overnight my sub. roo blossomed.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
I agree. I knew my subordinate roo was a roo, only because they are salmon Faverolles, and look completely different from the hens...he had a tiny comb, and was really small...within a week of the dominant roo being sold, he had doubled in width, grew his comb, and finally crowed for the first time in his life - he was almost a year old when this all happened.

 

[Beecht]

Joe was a very mean agressive, did i mention mean, roo. I can understand another roo hiding out from him, heck I hid out from him.... I think this transgender chicken lays.. I have 18 birds and get between 12-18 eggs a day... I just assumed on the 18 egg days that each chicken gave me one egg, I don't think they can lay 2 a day or can they... I didn't think they could change gender either....The spur nubbins that are growing are really growing fast too. He/she still walks hunched forward like a hen.... she still talks like a girl... guess I just keep watching her/him and listen for a crow.... It is a kinda cool mistery to have on my hands.....

Terrie

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Well, to throw a wrench in it all...about 2% of hens can have both functioning ovaries...I have a bantam cochin hen that HAS given me 2 eggs in a single day, and almost all of her other eggs are double yolkers...

 

[magic maker]

"Transgender chicken"!!!