Suddenly transgender hens

An English couple was surprised when they discovered their hens suddenly changed their sex and became roosters.

This strange transformation has happened since November 2010, when the hen, named Gertie, suddenly stopped spawning and began developing the characteristics of the rooster.

The owners of chickens, grandparents Jeanette and Jim Howard, in Needingword, Cambridgeshire, England, changed the name from Gertie to Bertie to match the current gender.

According to Victoria Roberts, a British bird expert, this strange sex change is due to the hormonal changes in the chicken.

Jeanette, 79, was puzzled when Gertie went back to her two chickens. But the veterinarians said that the hen was still fine and there was nothing to worry about.

Mr. Howard said: ' I bought 3 chickens 1 year ago and they all laid eggs until the end of the year. Last winter they started changing, I didn't pay much attention. Then one day I heard the crowing, looking out at the garden, it turned out to be Gertie '.

Jeanette added that Gertie suddenly grew crested, with long tail feathers, all the characteristics of the rooster.

Delia Richter, a veterinarian at Cromwell Vets Veterinary Hospital , Huntingdon, says changes in the single ovaries of hens or ovarian development can cause rooster characteristics.

Richter said: 'It will still be a hen but the left ovary has degenerated and the right ovary starts producing testosterone. Maybe this is what happened in this case. '