15-month old laying hen mounting another hen exclusively - can it stop?

[CoriBadger]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone has been through a similar situation! I don't want to rehome this hen; she's a sweet bird, except for...

I have a 15-month old Rhode Island Red, Scarlett, who's mid-tier on the pecking order. Out of eight birds total in my 9' x 23' run (adjoining 8' x 8' coop), she will go after and exclusively mount Phoebe, also hatched June 2022, an Astralorp who doesn't seem to notice a pecking order but ALWAYS notices and zooms after food. I have had all eight birds since they were chicks; they were raised together.

This behavior is an issue because Phoebe is now ragged - down to skin and stubble on her head, both sides of her neck, at the base of her tail, and on her right wing (left is starting to go, too). Scarlett only does this to Phoebe. I believe this is a progressive behavior that started many months ago. It shows no sign of stopping--every time they are in the same area, Scarlett will sneak up and jump on Phoebe, who sometimes squats, sometimes protests -- and, if I pull Scarlett off, Phoebe will peck her pretty aggressively. I have Scarlett separated in a 4' x 4' section of the run during the day, but I'm afraid this isn't fair or sustainable -- she also beats me to the punch when the coop door opens automatically in the morning before I can cage her, the brat -- but neither do I want Phoebe chafed to the point of open wounds and infection, which is where we're heading.

To sum up:
RIR hen continually and exclusively mounts Astralorp hen. Why?

Do I have to rehome my beautiful red bird, or does someone have a technique that worked to stop this behavior? I have tried knocking her off, forcing her to squat, carrying her around, sternly worded warnings, spraying her with the hose (sorry, Phoebe), tying string around her leg to off-balance her, and now, never letting her be unsupervised around Phoebe. I'm considering chicken diapers, blinders, a rooster (but I worry a rooster will just spread the "hens losing feather from aggressive mounting" around...)

The perpetrator and victim:

 

[aart]

I'd get rid of the aggressor.

 

[LaFleche]

Does the RIR lay eggs at all?

 

[CoriBadger]

Does the RIR lay eggs at all?

She does.

 

[CoriBadger]

I'd get rid of the aggressor.

Yeah, that's the unfortunate conclusion I'm coming to.

 

[Farmer13]

Have you tried a pecking deterrent?
https://www.amazon.com/Versele-Laga...7&sprefix=chicken+antipecking,aps,617&sr=8-17

 

[CoopBoots]

Looks like you can try separating Scarlett to completely reset her spot in the pecking order as well. This takes time and alternate housing space, of course, so not always feasible, and isn't a guaranteed success if she is stubbornly aggressive or if this is due to a persistent hormonal issue.

Here's a short thread on a similar case; the the conclusion wasn't posted: Thread 'Hen Mounting Other Hens' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-mounting-other-hens.1569018/

Just out of curiosity, what other breeds do you keep in the flock? Is Phoebe very different from the rest in coloration (i.e. no other chickens look like her)? I have one black pullet raised in a red, buff, and white flock, and she was always singled out for being different as a baby. Got picked on more than anyone else. Thankfully that's settled down but she still seems a bit ostracized by my red and white girls, who all matched someone else in the flock/were not visually outliers.

 

[CoriBadger]

Looks like you can try separating Scarlett to completely reset her spot in the pecking order as well. This takes time and alternate housing space, of course, so not always feasible, and isn't a guaranteed success if she is stubbornly aggressive or if this is due to a persistent hormonal issue.

Here's a short thread on a similar case; the the conclusion wasn't posted: Thread 'Hen Mounting Other Hens' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-mounting-other-hens.1569018/

Just out of curiosity, what other breeds do you keep in the flock? Is Phoebe very different from the rest in coloration (i.e. no other chickens look like her)? I have one black pullet raised in a red, buff, and white flock, and she was always singled out for being different as a baby. Got picked on more than anyone else. Thankfully that's settled down but she still seems a bit ostracized by my red and white girls, who all matched someone else in the flock/were not visually outliers.

I am willing to try keeping her separate to reset her! I wouldn't say she's otherwise aggressive, but hormonal, hmm....could be.

Phoebe's the only black one in the flock but I do have a pretty dark Barnevelder (she'd never allow that behavior, she's high on the pecking order) - the others are EEs (1 grey, 2 brown/yellow), a red laced blue wyandotte, and a speckled sussex. I do wonder if it's a coloration thing!

Thank you for responding!

 

[CoriBadger]

Have you tried a pecking deterrent?
https://www.amazon.com/Versele-Laga-No-Pick-100ml/dp/B007MAJAW0/ref=sr_1_17?crid=CCJN3JJML3LC&keywords=chicken+anti+pecking+spray&qid=1693841997&sprefix=chicken+antipecking,aps,617&sr=8-17

That's an option, thank you!

 

[Mrs. K]

Being raised together has really little influence on flock behavior. And sometimes you just get a bird that does not work in the flock, or a pair of birds that do not work together. Good animal husbandry is solving things for peace in the flock. You may not be aware of it, but I am betting this behavior is causing stress in the entire flock.

I would not waste anymore time, one of the birds needs to go. If she is laying, she should be salable, and to be honest, there is a good chance that she will do much better in another flock. She just isn't working out in this flock.

Mrs K