Chicken bald back

[Clucky the Great]

I came across this really bizarre bird today... 3 infact. They had undergone Spontaneous Sex Reversal http://www.urbanchickenpodcast.com/ucp-episode-018/ Which meant they were half hen, half cock! I am just wondering if anyone has had experience of them? They don't lay eggs but I am just wondering if they crow? Because I really fancy rehoming one but I can't have one that crows!

[Charlottechicken]

I think this has cropped up on the forum before

 

However, it does say in the article that they exhibit all male behaviour and that includes crowing. I think some female chickens, especially those at the top of the pecking order, may crow or attempt to.

 

If you can't have cockerels where you are then I wouldn't set your heart on one

[Beantree]

It happens when their productive ovary is damaged. The resulting surge of testosterone causes them to exhibit cock behaviour. So they will crow and make other leadership noises and will even tread other hens. But they can't fertilise any eggs and they no longer lay eggs of their own. I read it happens to 1 in 10,000 hens, but incidences of it on forums make it seem to be far more frequent than that.

[Clucky the Great]

I have since found out that he/she is 39 weeks old and if he/she was going to start crowing we should have heard it by now as he was spotted as a pullet as being different. Fingers crossed I can get him/her in September, another bizarre thing is that there is a one and a half finger gap between the pubic bones - not enough to be in lay, but should have fused together if cockerel. Also he/she is brown, the cockerels are supposed to be white so definite sex reversal.

[Redwing]

Also he/she is brown, the cockerels are supposed to be white so definite sex reversal.

 

I'm sorry I don't buy that. This seems simply a female hen who has taken on male characteristics, not really the same as the so called 'sex reversal'

 

As someone who has seen plenty of brown ex battery cockerels I can assure you that colour is in no way conclusive of sex!