A Cytological Study of Sex Reversal in the Domestic Fowl

Newcomer, Earl H.; Donnelly, Grace M.; Forbes, W. Cameron

doi:10.3382/ps.0391030

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Spurs, combs and wattles in birds are typically testosterone-dependent structures and in castrated males these structures regress while testosterone injections cause them to regenerate [4]. Female spur development has been reported in ovariectomised fowl [1,5] as has sex reversal from female to male with male-like plumage, vocalization, spurs and functioning testes [6,7]. Spur development has also been associated with the development of ovarian tumours [6,7] with the tumour suppressing the functioning of the ovaries and the production of estrogen leading to a consequent increase in the production of testosterone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Female spur development has been reported in ovariectomised fowl [1,5] as has sex reversal from female to male with male-like plumage, vocalization, spurs and functioning testes [6,7]. Spur development has also been associated with the development of ovarian tumours [6,7] with the tumour suppressing the functioning of the ovaries and the production of estrogen leading to a consequent increase in the production of testosterone. In the early embryonic stage the ovaries or testes of fowl develop from the perimodial germ cells [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) with larger spurs have higher faecal testosterone levels; evidence of female to male - like phenotype

Kent¹,

Hynes

Hayden

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Spurs are a testosterone-dependent secondary sexual characteristic of male chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and are used as ‘weapons’ in intra-sexual fighting. While predominantly a male feature, they are also found in a small number of females. Here we show that faecal testosterone metabolites of adult hens (i.e. females) with large spurs are significantly greater than those of females with smaller spurs. The presence of spurs in hens together with elevated testosterone levels are indicative of a masculinisation process that may increase with age. This is of particular interest in the study of female to male sex-reversal in fowl.

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