Can female quail change their gender to male?

[FloorCandy]

I start going through reading then realized it's from 2019

There was a thread earlier this year about a duck. I did a lot of research and there’s like one guy in the world who has studied this, he is in the UK I think. I was unable to find definite published proof, but if I remember correctly he did reference it in a book he wrote, but it was out of print and very pricey, and I couldn’t find a digital copy. I asked on here if anyone had the book and no one did, but it seemed he had researched it and witnessed it firsthand in a duck I think. He necropsied it, and what I read seemed to suggest it had been producing viable sperm, and had at one time been laying viable eggs. But I believe the dna still said it was female after the switch. If I remember correctly it was a difference in genotype vs phenotype. But again I could find sources that referenced this, but I could not read those sources myself.

 

[007Sean]

Although this is an old thread and in the quail forum...I have a Chinese ringneck hen that has lost her ovaries....I think from old age (14 years old) but not certain, she has no disease nor has had any injury. She laid viable eggs this last season.(April - July).
She has developed the outward appearance of a cock bird but hasn't shown any other characteristics of a cock bird, ie; trying to mate with another hen, doesn't crow.
The cock bird doesn't show any aggression towards her but it's fall/winter...will have to wait until spring to see if this changes.
Since these pics were taken, the hen has continued to develop male feather pattern and gotten alot darker typical male colors on her head and a solid white collar, as well as getting the copper colored breast feathers. Tail feathers are starting to become more like a cock bird, thin bars and a silver/bronze color. Hasn't grown spurs or wattles, though!

I haven't seen this in any of my quail and this is only the second hen I have had to have this happen to her. The other was many years ago!

Here's a few pics of the hen. Taken late September, early October. The change has taken several months and is still ongoing!

 

[Canina]

Thank you very much for your explination, it is very helpful.
This quail that I think changed its gender, layed eggs for at least a month and only suposedly became male when it was 4months old.
Whilst I am not a very experienced with vent sexing, I did notice a distinctive change in behaviour and feather pattern.
According to some websites, this can occur if the left ovary is damaged because the left ovary is the only one producing oestrogen, which also suppresses the male hormones.
If the left ovary is damaged and dies, there is nothing left to suppress the male hormones (and much like a woman with more testosterone) the quail becomes more masculine.
The undeveloped right overy, can sometimes change into a testis, because it reacts with the unsupressed male hormones.
The quail is apparently now a fertile male.

I am also not completly sure about this, so I am taking the quail to have blood taken and be sexed by blood instead.
Thank you everyone for your helpful comments.

I was thinking along the same lines that such a thing is feasible. Fascinating. Following.

 

[Canina]

I start going through reading then realized it's from 2019

Still super interesting! I was looking at threads like this back when I was still unsure if this little one was a lady or not purely out of my mind wandering

 

[Kazzybee]

I have a definite male Manchurian quail producing foam. He is in isolation now, but he had a female with him about 2 weeks ago. They had a box in the cage with mulch and sand in it which was pretty empty after they fluffed around in it. She attacked him bashing both his eyes so I removed her. A few days later I found an egg in the box, but was thinking it may have been buried before and I missed it after removing her. Just last night I found another egg in the box.

Could he have laid this egg??? I’m going to watch him for the next few days to see if another appears. If it is true, it would be extremely rare!

 

[krizrose]

I'm sincerely interested in this topic. It makes me wonder about some chickens I used to have. I will also watch closely for any and all that hatch from current and future incubations. I'd love to find out about all the research and the possible reasons for a switch, not that I want to "label" causality, but because I'm an amateur scientist at heart!

 

[Bea1010]

Hi from the future in 2022, and man time surely makes the difference. I read this forum thinking it must not be possible but now I am seeing some results now that it may be possible in very very rare cases for birds to have sex changes. So, op, what you have seen and experienced has some research merits. A fascinating topic indeed.

 

[007Sean]

It is not possible for a bird to change it's gender....what it hatched out as, is what gender it is, period.
Now, female birds can lose an ovary, and this will lead to a male feather pattern to become noticeable (due to an increase in testosterone) but it doesn't change their gender.

If a male bird loses it's testies, it may act afeminate and partially have female feather pattern but it can not lay an egg!!!! Here again, it's gender it hatched out as, has not changed, it is still a male bird.

 

[007Sean]

Here's the same Phasianus colchicus hen that's in post #22, almost a year later, you can see the difference between then and now....much more of the male feather pattern and coloration has developed on her but she still retains a few of the hens feathers and coloration. Also you can see that she didn't grow spurs or wattles, so you know it isn't a male bird, nor did she or neither could she have changed her gender.