Topic of the Week - Chicken Myths, True or False?

[Liz Birdlover]

I grew up being told they’d drown in the rain if they looked up!

I've heard that one too, LMAO!

 

[ChanP]

My hens never seem particularly angry when they're wet ("madder than a wet hen")

Our chickens love the rain!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Here is one I almost forgot, I heard long ago...
The guy said that a bird can change it's gender AFTER it has hatched...so they adjust themselves for a balance ratio of male & female birds in the flock. This sounded crazy to me...I mean once it is hatched, it is what it is...even as embryo, gender is already set by the genes.

I believe it can be manipulated to a degree by the hen, as the egg is being formed within her, and possibly by how she incubates her eggs, but once a chick Pecks out of the shell, it's either a Hen or Roo at that point, right?

I'm not saying birds won't occasionally "act" like or have some type of feathering similar to the opposite sex, but they are not going to physically change gender AFTER hatching.

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-become-male-or-female-and-occasionally-both-112061

https://animalogic.ca/wild/6-surprising-animals-that-can-change-sex

The theory...while Hens are sitting on eggs, they can figure out if more Hens vs Roos are needed, and can adjust their incubating techniques & temperature accordingly. It does not actually change the gender in the egg. While a slightly lower incubating temperature (1degree) did show in artificial incubator lab tests, that Less Male Eggs Successfully Hatched Out, there is no definitive proof this is consistent when using incubators, and no proof at all as far as a broody hen hatching eggs, as we can't constantly monitor hen body temperature, of exactly how warm she's keeping her eggs. (I guess a determined scientist with expensive equipment could.)

I also tried the shape of the egg idea, I wanted to hatch eggs anyway, figured it can't hurt to try...all perfectly round eggs.

10 round eggs...
Hatched out 5 hens & 5 Roos.
Lesson learned!

https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2016/04/the-secret-to-hatching-hens-not-roosters.html?m=1

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Our chickens love the rain!

I have 1 Roo that was very grumpy when he got soaked in the rain...but really he is a moody boy at other times, even on a sunny day

 

[Show Sebright]

Here is one I almost forgot, I heard long ago...
The guy said that a bird can change it's gender AFTER it has hatched...so they adjust themselves for a balance ratio of male & female birds in the flock. This sounded crazy to me...I mean once it is hatched, it is what it is...even as embryo, gender is already set by the genes.

I believe it can be manipulated to a degree by the hen, as the egg is being formed within her, and possibly by how she incubates her eggs, but once a chick Pecks out of the shell, it's either a Hen or Roo at that point, right?

I'm not saying birds won't occasionally "act" like or have some type of feathering similar to the opposite sex, but they are not going to physically change gender AFTER hatching.

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-become-male-or-female-and-occasionally-both-112061

https://animalogic.ca/wild/6-surprising-animals-that-can-change-sex

The theory...while Hens are sitting on eggs, they can figure out if more Hens vs Roos are needed, and can adjust their incubating techniques & temperature accordingly. It does not actually change the gender in the egg. While a slightly lower incubating temperature (1degree) did show in artificial incubator lab tests, that Less Male Eggs Successfully Hatched Out, there is no definitive proof this is consistent when using incubators, and no proof at all as far as a broody hen hatching eggs, as we can't constantly monitor hen body temperature, of exactly how warm she's keeping her eggs. (I guess a determined scientist with expensive equipment could.)

I also tried the shape of the egg idea, I wanted to hatch eggs anyway, figured it can't hurt to try...all perfectly round eggs.

10 round eggs...
Hatched out 5 hens & 5 Roos.
Lesson learned!

https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2016/04/the-secret-to-hatching-hens-not-roosters.html?m=1

Well I me they can’t fertilize eggs but truly they can chang their gender. That is kinda how girls crow. I guess it is up to the person. Never seen a flock balance it’s for boys and girls though. Only had a girl flock and then a hen-roo.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Well I me they can’t fertilize eggs but truly they can chang their gender. That is kinda how girls crow. I guess it is up to the person. Never seen a flock balance it’s for boys and girls though. Only had a girl flock and then a hen-roo.

I know hens can crow, but they can't successfully fertilize eggs creating offspring with another hen.

 

[Ascholten]

one of my hens got quite angry when I turned the garden hose on them, but it was more vocalization than anything. The others didn't seem to mind it much, and enjoyed it. Madder than a wet hen, oh yes they can throw a fit! I think a lot of that also has to do with the disposition of your girl too. if she's moody and snooty to begin with, and you got yourself a little drama queen then yes you will have the high drama when she gets angry. The others, could tell when they were not happy but they didn't make much stink out of things.

My cockatoo now, LOVES the vaccuum cleaner, Ill bust that out put the brush on it and brush him down and he loves it. Most any other bird I have owned, just turning the VC on was enough to put them into a tizzy... go figure.

 

[Silviaschicks]

One myth people love is chickens are scaredy-cats. While this might be true for some chickens (my polish used to fly when I’d carry a shovel!) most chickens can adapt to anything big or moving, and over time they will learn it’s not a threat and they won’t mind it

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yeah, they found that's not an effective control strategy. The geese just decide that's an unsafe site and start over again somewhere else. If you oil the eggs the geese may sit the whole season trying to hatch eggs without being able to. They do the same thing with muscovies in FL.

Er. Dont the eggs eventually rot and explode, question mark. Sorry, dumb google pixel five this morning has decided instead of giving me punctuation it will give me a numerical pad. Sigh.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I thought this was crazy until my husband showed me

Apparently those vibrations are painful to the worms.