Sex change chicken

Love to have animals around? Perhaps you're being plagued by them? All your tips here...

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
User avatar
Chantal
KG Regular
Posts: 5665
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:53 am
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Been thanked: 1 time

One of my Light Sussex hens seems to be changing sex. I've long maintained that one of them has never laid an egg, so perhaps it's this one (can't tell them apart).

Anyway, I noticed that one of the girls had incredibly long toenails and wondered if that's why she was picking up her feet so high when she was walking. Then I realised she was picking up her feet because she had quite long spurs. Finally it dawned on me that the girls don't have spurs and further inspection revealed that she's growing male tail feathers. My neighbour has been worring about one of them "making a funny noise" lately, so it would appear she's also trying to crow!

I've heard of this happening, but never thought I'd see it :shock:
Chantal

I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
Top
User avatar
Johnboy
KG Regular
Posts: 5824
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:15 pm
Location: NW Herefordshire

Hi Chantal,
Lets hope that it is not catching and jumps the species barrier! :wink:
JB.
Top
Nature's Babe
KG Regular
Posts: 2468
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 6:02 pm
Location: East Sussex

Hi Chantal, has the alarm clock suddenly became obsolete ? :)
Sit down before a fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconcieved notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.
By Thomas Huxley
http://www.wildrye.info/reserve/
Top
User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 14432
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 711 times
Been thanked: 709 times

Dear Johnboy, with some of the funny fellows that seem to keep turning up on the ever worstening television, i think it might already have happened.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
Top
User avatar
alan refail
KG Regular
Posts: 7254
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:00 am
Location: Chwilog Gogledd Orllewin Cymru Northwest Wales
Been thanked: 7 times

Hi Chantal

[tongue in cheek mode]Your language is not up-to-date! Your title should read "Transgender chicken". S/he is not "changing sex"; s/he is undergoing "gender reassignment"! [/tongue in cheek mode]

At least those are the terms I now see used.

Seriously, though, this is not unknown.

http://howtokeepchickens.blogspot.com/2 ... hange.html

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKChange.html

As for the spurs, I have a number of hens with spurs, and they lay, or did lay till they got too old.

My problem is Lesbian Ducks!

Three one year old white Campbells are very wary of the drakes and prefer to mount each other. They still lay an egg each a day. I know cows regularly mount other cows, but I have never seen it in ducks.
Top
User avatar
Chantal
KG Regular
Posts: 5665
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:53 am
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Been thanked: 1 time

Oh it just gets worse! Lesbian ducks? We had a pair of gay ducks once, Adam and Steve...

I did think of putting Transgender Chicken, but decided it sounded too PC :lol: :lol:

Ms/Mr chicken is now growing a proper comb and walking very carefully as she/he keeps tripping over her/his new spurs. :roll:
Chantal

I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
Top
User avatar
peter
KG Regular
Posts: 5879
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:54 pm
Location: Near Stansted airport
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 81 times
Contact:
Contact peter

Chantal wrote:Ms/Mr chicken is now growing a proper comb and walking very carefully as she/he keeps tripping over her/his new spurs. :roll:


So walking like bloke wearing his first pair of stilettos?
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.

I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
Top
User avatar
Chantal
KG Regular
Posts: 5665
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:53 am
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Been thanked: 1 time

peter wrote:
Chantal wrote:Ms/Mr chicken is now growing a proper comb and walking very carefully as she/he keeps tripping over her/his new spurs. :roll:


So walking like bloke wearing his first pair of stilettos?


With a football between his knees! :lol: :lol:

Selsey, who has been on loan as a broody, came home last night and is giving her/him some very odd looks. Could be trouble in the old chicken shed :roll:
Chantal

I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
Top
User avatar
Chantal
KG Regular
Posts: 5665
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:53 am
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Been thanked: 1 time

Hard though it is to believe, I now seem to have a second chicken on the change.

I have one in full moult with spurs and a second who is growing new feathers including her lovely cock tail and a comb which has suddenly sprouted so much it's flopping over.

What the hell is going on here? If the chances of a chicken having a sex change is around 1:100,000 what are the odds on 2 out of 5 girls doing just that? :shock:
Chantal

I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
Top
User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 14432
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 711 times
Been thanked: 709 times

Dear Chantal, i wonder if buying a gay Cockerel might help the situation. :)
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
Top
User avatar
Elle's Garden
KG Regular
Posts: 465
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:58 pm
Location: West Sussex

Hi Chantal,

This is very intriguing. How old are they?
Kind regards,

Elle
Top
User avatar
peter
KG Regular
Posts: 5879
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:54 pm
Location: Near Stansted airport
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 81 times
Contact:
Contact peter

Chantal, when converting the shed into a hen house did you remove all traces of the nuclear research materials you had previously stored in there? :twisted: :twisted:
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.

I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
Top
Elaine
KG Regular
Posts: 1207
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:40 am
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire.

Chantal this is absolutely fascinating...I'm all agog! :shock:
Cheers.
Happy with my lot
Top
User avatar
Chantal
KG Regular
Posts: 5665
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:53 am
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Been thanked: 1 time

They're three years old Light Sussex hens. I was given them aged around 8 months when they had already started laying. Although I believe one of them has never laid an egg, two of them must have as I sometimes had 4 eggs in a day (Selsey and Penelope provided the other 2).

I'll take some more photos if I can, but they have a habit of diving under shrubs etc when the camera comes out :roll:

They are free range in my garden and in addition to grass etc, they have layers pellets and kibbled maize plus bits of left overs from the kitchen. Nothing at all containing nuclear fuel!

And Elaine, you are not the only one who is agog :shock:
Chantal

I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
Top
User avatar
Elle's Garden
KG Regular
Posts: 465
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:58 pm
Location: West Sussex

Ooh, this gets more exciting - can't wait for the photos!
Kind regards,

Elle
Top
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Birds, Animals and Livestock”