06-11-2016, 12:23 PM
Chickens are one of the bird species that can reproduce without males. Read up on parthenogenesis. Here's a few articles to get you started.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis (scroll down to bird section)
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and...world.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/8...mortality/
http://biologicalexceptions.blogspot.com...chive.html
Now that DNA testing is cheaper and widely available, we are discovering its a lot more common than we used to believe.
ETA: It's more likely you have a rooster nearby than a parthenogenetic leaning hen (especially if its a large healthy clutch). But if you DO have one, it could be your retirement bird, especially if its passing the tendency to its offspring. Lots of people would like to enjoy raising chickens without the crowing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis (scroll down to bird section)
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and...world.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/8...mortality/
http://biologicalexceptions.blogspot.com...chive.html
Now that DNA testing is cheaper and widely available, we are discovering its a lot more common than we used to believe.
ETA: It's more likely you have a rooster nearby than a parthenogenetic leaning hen (especially if its a large healthy clutch). But if you DO have one, it could be your retirement bird, especially if its passing the tendency to its offspring. Lots of people would like to enjoy raising chickens without the crowing.