Hen feathering

Hen feathering in cocks is the occurrence of a genetically conditioned character in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). Males with this condition develop a female-type plumage, although otherwise look and respond as virile males.

Hen-feathering in cocks is one of the typical characteristics of the Sebright Bantam, a breed established circa 1810, in accordance with the intentions of its creator, Sir John Saunders Sebright.

Sexual dimorphism in plumage is very common in birds,^[1] particularly within Phasianidae where males are bigger and have brighter and more colorful plumage than females among other morphological differences.^[2]