Could a chicken change sex?

Could a chicken change sex?

By chx0ut4DMin Comment Closed
We are very proud of our chickens who provide endless hours of amusement and indeed affection.One of them started squawking a bit and in chats with other chicken lovers, were told they could change sex !Now we had never heard of this, so investigation was needed !Apparently, a hen can sometimes develop male characteristics if her only functioning ovary becomes damaged or stops working.In chickens only the left ovary normally functions in egg production and the right gonad remains largely undeveloped.If the left ovary is damaged for example by age-related degeneration, the dormant right gonad can begin producing male hormonesHence a hen may:Grow a larger comb and wattlesDevelop long saddle and hackle feathers like a roosterCrow or attempt to crowAnd people often call these birds "sex-reversed hens”, but they remain genetically female (ZW), do not become a true cockerel, do not produce sperm and cannot fertilise eggsSo, to dispel a myth, being without a cockerel does not cause hens to...
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Beavers on the return to the wild?

By chXout Team Comment Closed
  In 16th Century Britain the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) was sadly hunted to extinction for its fur, meat and scent glands. Beavers are known as a keystone species or ecosystem engineers, meaning that they benefit the area around them. This has resulted in projects across the UK trialling the re-introduction of beavers to the wild starting with large enclosures at nature reserves. Beaver Benefits Creation of dams and ditches which aids in the formation of wetland habitat Wetland habitat holds more water in the landscape which filters silt and agricultural chemicals from the water Wetlands are crucial to combatting climate change due to the capturing and storage of carbon and the reduction of greenhouse gases Reduction of flooding Encouraging new species into the area, increasing biodiversity Changes in vegetation composition and diversity (Summarised from current project information by the Wildlife Trusts.) Consideration for the wider release of beavers into the wild is now able to take a step forward with DEFRA announcing legal protection for the species from October 2022...
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