Henster? or Roost-hen?

We have a motley selection of chickens.......  some we bought not long after we purchased our place; some were hatched by those first few birds; and a couple were given to us by friends when they moved house. This past winter we lost a couple to old age and we are now left with the grand total of nine girls and the fancy-pants rooster!  

In her younger days......

But........ about 6 months ago I happened to be awake very early one morning  and heard not one but two, roosters crowing in our chook house! One of course was our Blush, mature and very sure of himself. The other was a more hesitant, juvenile and croaky cock-a-doodle-doo! At first I thought maybe the younger one was from some one else's chook yard and the sound was just carrying in the still night air. When it happened again over several mornings in the following weeks (and I had woken the Best Man to have a listen - much to his displeasure) I decided to make a thorough investigation. 

Thats the changeling on the left not long after we first got her - and yes, she did lay eggs! 

And truly, I was amazed!! One of our hens was looking very rooster like! The Best Man was doubtful that such a change could occur but she was certainly looking very butch with a large comb, dangley wattles - even a manly chest!  

A very different chicken now 

Since we made this discovery a few months back, I've kept my eye on her/him and I have seen her crowing, although only in the dark or when the Real Rooster isn't nearby. S/he also calls to the hens in a most roosterish manner when she finds a titbit, rubs her wing on her leg just like a rooster when he wants to do his stuff and she mounts the chooks! Not often and obviously not for long but never the less, she does half-heartedly try! It's fascinating to watch how they all get on together. She is nice to all the hens and they treat her almost as if they know she is a bit odd but really quite benign - like an eccentric maiden aunt perhaps! She's just one of them, and even if she does mount them now and again, they just continue with what ever activity they were doing or move on. She is the biggest hen - slightly bigger than the rooster - although he is definitely the 'head of the house', so I'm not sure what she is compensating for! 

Foraging with some of her/his sisters

 Blush (the real rooster!) treats her just like one of the girls although he does give her a peck if he's feeling crabby. I have never seen him trying to mount her - which I suppose he wouldn't do seeing as she wouldn't be laying anymore. 

This is up to the minute firsthand reporting -  I wrote this while sitting near the chook house watching all these goings on with acute interest! 

Have you ever heard of this happening before, or perhaps seen it yourself? I must say that if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd find it very hard to believe! 

For Karen - you made a comment on my nice rooster here and I told you his name was Blush without looking back at the pics in my post. Miss Elli informed me later that it wasn't the Real Rooster but this pseudo one..... so obviously I'm not the only one that thinks she is a he!!!