chickenNutter Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 I have two japanese bantams who have been virtually identical since young, about 3-4 years old now. Over the past 2or 3 months the featherson one have gone larger and co*****r and she now looks completely different! Also her comb etc is a paler cour than usual. Is this some sort of deficiency? She is on layers pellets, nothing has changed in her diet. In the attached photos the rusty chested girl is the ‘normal’ bantam and the one with the larger almost chequerboard chest and itridescent flight feathers is the weirdo. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 No idea. But they are pretty ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 If I didn’t know better I’d say here’s something weird going on with her hormones and she’s turning into a cockerel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 15 minutes ago, mullethunter said: If I didn’t know better I’d say here’s something weird going on with her hormones and she’s turning into a cockerel! That’s what I was thinking! The neck feathers are much more pointed than of the other hen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Is the one who's feathers have changed still laying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 2 hours ago, Cat tails said: That’s what I was thinking! The neck feathers are much more pointed than of the other hen. Me three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenNutter Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 OMG! Really? Can hens change sex??? OMG!!! And no I don’t think she/he is laying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Chickens only have one functional ovary (the left one) so it could be that that got damaged, altering her hormones and changing her secondary sexual characteristics. She's technically still a female but has secondary sex characteristics of a cockerel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenNutter Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Cheers Lewis. It will be interesting to see if it raises her up the pecking order. She is currently at the bottom. She was called Iris, my daughter has rechristened her ‘Ian’! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
