Scientist now believe that birds, particularly chickens, have a different way in developing sexual characteristics than previously thought. This find comes after discovering half and half chickens. Yes, that’s right, chickens that are both male and female at the same time.

These rare birds, literally, look different on each side of their body. One side is developed and plumed like a female chicken, while the other side is dominated by male plumage and characteristics. When scientists took chromosome samples from each side of the bird they were shocked to discover that the female side of the bird had all female chromosomes while the male side had male chromosomes.

Scientist believed that sex was determined in the embryonic stage of a chickens life, much like human development. Now, they are stating that the determination of the sex in chickens is based on hormones. They believe that each cell in the chickens’ body has sex determinate qualities and that when exposed to hormones produced in the body, they develop into a specific sex.

Further research is needed to determine if these birds possessing the qualities are a rare anomaly or if they are in fact a result of hormone problems or misfunctions.