Henny the hen is acting the cockerel

Henny the hen has an identity crisis – because late in life, she has decided she’d prefer to reinvent herself as a rooster!

Her transition has astounded her owner Vivienne McCormack – not to mention the fact that it has caused a stir among the 20 other hens, eight small dogs, three alpacas, two cats and a rooster outside Loughrea.

Henny D’aville – to give her full title – enjoys a panoramic view of Loughrea Lake, sharing a half-acre paddock with fellow hens, the Alpacas and a rooster.

Up to recently, she roamed freely by day and slept by night in a large protective coop – until her identity crisis reared its head.

“One day I heard this sound that sounded like another rooster. I went out and there was Henny D’aville, crowing away and challenging the rooster. It’s very rare but it has happened before where hens have changed sex,” explained Vivienne.

Since those early days of confusion and self-exploration Henny has altered in ways that defy belief.

“Her features have changed, her comb is much larger, her wattles are longer, her legs and feathers have changed colour and she has the key features of a rooster,” said Vivienne.

Whilst Henny D’aville can often be found protecting the hens, she has recently started to peck at the rooster ‘plucking feathers from his head’, puffing out her chest and exhibiting a ‘dominant walk’.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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