Ananova:

The owners of a hen were stunned when it turned into a cockerel.

After eight months of laying eggs she suddenly sprouted a scarlet comb and started crowing at dawn.

Jo Richards, 42, who has now christened the chicken Freaky, said: "One morning out of the blue she just started crowing. I've never heard of such a thing."

Freaky now wakes up Jo every sunrise at her home in Saltford near Bristol reports the Mirror.

He also fights with other males and even tries to mate with his former laying mates.

Victoria Roberts, of the Poultry Club of Great Britain, explained that the sex change was a one in 10,000 rarity, caused by soaring testosterone levels.

Adrian Keep, secretary of the National Federation of Poultry Clubs, confirmed: "It does happen but the odds are very, very rare. I've only seen it once in 55 years."