Hey Johanna! Good one! And I loved the story about your chickens in the previous post. Come visit us again soon. Have you heard from Jeannie? I will check with her this weekend if she comes to the show. xo
Researchers say they've solved the mystery of why some chickens hatch out half-male and half-female.
About one in every 10,000 chickens is gynandromorphous, to use the technical term.
Scientists at the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh say they have discovered that bird cells don't need to be programmed by hormones.
Instead they are inherently male or female, and remain so even if they end up mixed together in the same chicken.
It means a half-and-half chicken will have totally different plumage, body shape, and muscle structure on the two halves of its body.
It even affects the wattles on the bird's head, and the spurs on its legs. They will be larger on the cockerel half, and smaller on the hen half, of the same bird.
LOL
ReplyDeleteCute!!!
Oh geez! :)
ReplyDeleteWas the eggceptionally corny?
ReplyDeleteHey Johanna! Good one! And I loved the story about your chickens in the previous post. Come visit us again soon. Have you heard from Jeannie? I will check with her this weekend if she comes to the show. xo
ReplyDeleteResearchers say they've solved the mystery of why some chickens hatch out half-male and half-female.
ReplyDeleteAbout one in every 10,000 chickens is gynandromorphous, to use the technical term.
Scientists at the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh say they have discovered that bird cells don't need to be programmed by hormones.
Instead they are inherently male or female, and remain so even if they end up mixed together in the same chicken.
It means a half-and-half chicken will have totally different plumage, body shape, and muscle structure on the two halves of its body.
It even affects the wattles on the bird's head, and the spurs on its legs. They will be larger on the cockerel half, and smaller on the hen half, of the same bird.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8561814.stm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAh! Chicken humor!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete