Can chickens be gay

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I'm serious here. Can chickens be gay? Thank you for visiting nature. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. I just caught my oldest hen (a catalana) was just seen mounting one of my Cochin bantam hens. Half-male, half-female fowl explain sex determination.

Can Birds Be Gay

The catalana is one of my best layers as well!. Fang, J. Chicken's split sex identity revealed. Access through your institution. Learn more. Michael Clinton's website. It wasn't the usual peck on the back as a "move out of my way" motion, but a full on clocae extension to the bantam.

Transgender' chickens do happen - upon occasion aberrations in a hens ovaries can result in excess Testosterone production resulting in a bird that physically looks like a rooster but is incapable of fertilizing eggs. Two New York Central Park Zoo 's male chinstrap penguins, similar to those pictured, became internationally known when they coupled and later were given an egg that needed hatching and care, which they successfully did.

[1] For these birds, there is documented evidence of homosexual behavior in one or more of the following kinds: sex, courtship, affection, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar. Subjects Body patterning Evolution Sexual dimorphism. Buy or subscribe. Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. In 70 + years around fowl I have only seen this one time.

Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download references. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Zhao, D. Nature Wade, J. NY Acad. Sexuality in animals is expressed in many ways. Published : 10 March Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.