Hen trying to mate with other hen and prolapsing!

[Kawkawkaye]

I just watched my hen hump another hen so vigorously that her vent was prolapsed for the next twenty seconds. She stood there upright, dripping out liquid, before she sucked it back up again and continued on her merry way. Is this...... normal? Is a more serious prolapse possible in the future?

Some background: 2 years old, isa brown. Does have reproductive issues, including regularly laying soft shelled eggs, so I worry about her prolapsing enough as it is. She’s top of the pecking order and regularly humps the other hens, though I pull her off when I can. Is this something that usually happens when hens hump other hens and I’ve just never looked close enough in the past?

 

[Kawkawkaye]

Bumping..

 

[Kawkawkaye]

Bump

 

[cherrynberry]

@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive
@azygous

 

[azygous]

While it's not exactly common, hens do hump other hens. It's almost always an act of dominance. You don't mention having a rooster, but often this happens in flocks that don't have one, although it's not a requirement for this behavior to occur.

For her soft egg issue, giving her a calcium tablet every day until her eggs are normal again would be a good idea or else it's just a matter of time before she is egg bound with accompanying prolapse.

 

[Kawkawkaye]

While it's not exactly common, hens do hump other hens. It's almost always an act of dominance. You don't mention having a rooster, but often this happens in flocks that don't have one, although it's not a requirement for this behavior to occur.

For her soft egg issue, giving her a calcium tablet every day until her eggs are normal again would be a good idea or else it's just a matter of time before she is egg bound with accompanying prolapse.

Yes, I’m aware the hen-on-hen action is common without a rooster, but I’ve just never looked so close to see what their... cloacas... are doing I was quite alarmed to see hers hanging out afterwards! Obviously when it’s a hen and a rooster I’d expect their cloacas to kiss, but I didn’t think my hen would go that far! I thought her dominance act was all about the display and mounting but not the exchange of butt juices as well!

As for her soft eggs, she gets supplemented calcium already, but blips happen on both of our behalves.

 

[azygous]

What kind of supplemental calcium and what is the strength? This is what I recommend as it's most rapidly absorbed.