What's up with this guy?

[2coopscounting]

My wife and I recently rescued about 50 chickens from some horrible conditions on a farm where the owner was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Among them were four brown leghorn hens and one brown leghorn rooster. I've never seen brown leghorns before, but all the pictures of the roosters I've seen look nothing like this guy. Apart from being slightly larger and having a larger comb and wattles he looks exacly like the hens. Is he a cockeral who is going to look different later, or what?



Here's another one with a hen alongside......

 

[ChickyBoy417]

WOW! Thats certainly is something different, I'm really stumped on this one. Sometimes hens look like roosters because of their combs and sometimes they crow, but the white earlobes are throwing me off. Check to see if he/she lays an egg. Honestly, I am very impressed/confused/surprised. This is certainly something else.

 

[donrae]

That's a leghorn hen. The other one in your pic isn't mature, she will also have the large comb and wattles. Grantes, those wattles are larger than I've seen, but that's all girl. She may be several years old, or just have big wattles. I wouldn't tell her that, though. You'll hurt her little feminine chicken feelings

 

[BigECarter]

I read a post recently where the poster claimed that in a flock with multiple roosters, sometimes the less dominant roos maintain hen-like characteristics. Sort of a survival mechanism.

 

[Smoochie]

I think it's a hen! :

 

[hdowden]

that's a light brown leghorn hen. the combs on leghorn hens get huge and flop over she is a very pretty girl and should be laying you lots of eggs. that hen also appears to be older than the other it is beside as her comb should get that big as well. the one in question is at least 1.5-3 years old while the one beside her looks to be around 8 months - 1 year old. also a roosters comb stands straight up and doesn't flop over like a hens

here is a good example of a flock of brown leghorns (note the hens combs)

 

[2coopscounting]

Really? This bird has spurs, crows, covers, has the occasional run in with our other two roosters......everything a rooster does, and does not lay eggs......of course that part would make sense if 'she' is older The other four are all at least old enough to lay eggs, but we have no idea how old they are. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the others turn out like in a few years. Very strange indeed, but thanks for the reply.

 

[2coopscounting]

The comb on this one does stand up, and it has spurs as well, though they are small.

 

[donrae]

She may have a malfunctioning ovary that causes her to act more masculine, but that bird is female.

 

[hdowden]

The comb on this one does stand up, and it has spurs as well, though they are small.

hens do develop spurs as well. my parents have several hens that have spurs and they are sharp.