RE: BEARDED HENS,HOW COMMON ?
As genetics becomes more commonplace in game species, we' ll have a definitive answer.
As it stands, there does seem to be a genetic inheritance for bearded hens. Hence, a single population in a relatively small area (say 100 acres) may have a very high population of bearded hens, as high as 25%.
As these hens radiate out from their maternal flocks, they will produce more bearded hen offspring.
I do think the 1/7 is a little high, but for an overall estimate it probably is not too bad. I would say probably more like 1/20 on average, but like I mentioned some populations you see 1/4.
I' ve seen ' em in every state in the Northeast, and they are a sight. I will also state that the beards on hens are usually shorter than a tom' s longbeard (a mature bearded hen may dangle 7 inches of bristle) and the actual bristles are almost always much thinner, less dense and fewer in number (hence a " wispy beard" ).
BT---a bearded hen grandslam would be awesome, especially if you were to mount all four of the birds!! A world slam might not be possible though, as I' ve read (no personal experience) that the Gould' s just don' t seem to have many bearded hens, which helps support the genetics concept