A hen turns into a cock

Coochbehar, May 24 (UNI) A hen turned into a cock and started growing a crown on her head in a farm belonging to Haziruddin Mohammed at Khepabecha village in Mekhlijunge of this remote district of West Bengal.

''She stopped laying eggs, which was a regular phenomenon just six months back, and her crow changed gradually,'' claimed Haziruddin.

District Animal Husbandry's Additional Director Tapan Roy described the change as phenotypical and not genetical.

'' This change is not unusual'', he said and added that after browsing websites he found that similar changes had been noticed in a hen in Patna, which was subsequently published in an American journal.

However, this was the first such case in West Bengal, Mr Roy, who had asked the owner to hand over the bird for further investigation, said.

Mekhligunj's Block Development Officer Subhashis Ghose said he had also seen the bird and acknowledged Haziruddin's claim.

But the owner refused to part with his bird.

UNI