Gianni the gender-bending cockerel starts to lay eggs, baffling scientists

[Twila]

I once had a teacher tell us that every once in awhile a male chicken will lay eggs. He'd said it to get our attention and to see if anyone would disagree with him. At least that's what he told us later. I figured a teacher would never tell us an untruth. Turns out he may have been right, unwittingly!.


[web]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1267691/Gianni-gender-bending-rooster-starts-lay-eggs.html[/web]

Now I'm a chick! Gianni the gender-bending cockerel starts to lay eggs, baffling scientists
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:05 PM on 22nd April 2010
Comments (26) Add to My Stories Gianni started life as a red-blooded cockerel and would often wake his Italian owners up crowing on his farm in Tuscany.

But when a fox raided Gianni's enclosure and killed all of the hens inside, Gianni felt it was time for a change.
Within days the bird was laying eggs and trying to hatch them as he began his new life as a hen.
All change: Gianni the former rooster has taken to laying eggs and trying to hatch them
The sex-change chicken has baffled scientists at the UN's Farm and Agriculture Organisation, who are now planning to study Gianni's DNA to see what made him change.
An expert at the centre said: 'It may be a primitive species survival gene. With all the females gone he could only ensure the future of his line by becoming female.'

Professor Donato Matassino, who will be leading tests on Gianni, said: 'This rooster-hen will be taken to the laboratories of Consdabi (Consortium for the experimentation and application of innovative biotechniques) for a series of behavioural and genetic tests.

'This will allow us to decipher this bizarre DNA mix up that appears to have literally given what looks like two chickens in one.'
Professor Donato said the cockerel-hen was transported by train to Naples where the laboratories are based.


Read more: Gianni the gender-bending rooster starts to lay eggs | Mail Online

 

[Johnnny]

holy ****, must have been the chemicals in the water, or the genetically altered chicken feed he was fed

 

[Tonington]

Not necessarilly. Lots of animals are sexually plastic. Many fish can change sex when the group dynamics are altered.

There's also that famous line in Jurassic Park, where Dr. Grant tells the children that some West African frog species are known to change sex in a single sex environment, when explaining how the escaped female dinosaurs are breeding.

It is weird to be sure, they shouldn't be sexually plastic. Chickens have a similar sexual deteminism that we humans have, except reversed. Where human males are XY, male chickens are ZZ, and where human females are XX, female chickens are ZW.

They know which gene is responsible for regulating the expression, but it's not necessarily this gene expression which is out of order.

 

[Cliffy]

I'm sure the pot plant isn't the only one that when the female plants are isolated, they will produce male flowers to ensure fertilization.

 

[Twila]

Tonington, I was sure you were going to make the comparison of chickens being just as primative as dinasaurs.

It will be interesting what the scientists find out...hopefully it's not just the first tranny chicken....

 

[Tonington]

Lol, have you seen the program on Discovery, where they try to reverse engineer chicken genes to give characteristics found in the dinosaurs? It's pretty wild stuff.

 

[Cliffy]

Have you ever seen chickens chase down and kill a mouse or other small mammal? Raptors I tell ya, Raptors. Truly frightening to see. Their eyes man! They are evil birds.

 

[Tonington]

I've noticed that the chickens confined to barns are quite evil, especially the layer hens. But that's understandable. I haven't seen much aggression from the free-run chickens.

 

[Cliffy]

I've noticed that the chickens confined to barns are quite evil, especially the layer hens. But that's understandable. I haven't seen much aggression from the free-run chickens.

The ones I saw were free run. I accidentally disturbed a nest of almost mature mice. About 6 or 7 hens went instantly into attack mode. It was straight out of Jurassic Park. They literally ripped the little buggers apart, beak and claw. Kinda freaked me out for a minute.

 

[Ulgundo]

The ones I saw were free run. I accidentally disturbed a nest of almost mature mice. About 6 or 7 hens went instantly into attack mode. It was straight out of Jurassic Park. They literally ripped the little buggers apart, beak and claw. Kinda freaked me out for a minute.

Well you wouldnt feel that great either if someone were to stare at you for 5 minutes while you were trying to sleep(or mate whatever you wanted to do)

 

[Cliffy]

Well you wouldnt feel that great either if someone were to stare at you for 5 minutes while you were trying to sleep(or mate whatever you wanted to do)

You have chickens staring at you while trying to sleep or mate? Or was that mice?

 

[Ulgundo]

Well no,see even chickens have better manners than you(Well i had a strange cat who liked to just sit there and stare at me all day long but thats besides the point)