15 week old chick mounting?

[Venusmarsdoodlenoodle]

I have 4 chicks that are 15 weeks, and today I saw one of the chicks Venus, jump on another chicks back. The chick quickly ran away though. The weird thing is that the chick is a lot higher than her in the pecking order. I’m pretty certain Venus is a hen, but does anyone know why she’s doing it? She’s done it before and I don’t know if it’s about establishing the pecking order because that chick is second battling for 1st and Venus is either 3rd or 4th, most likely 4th (out of 4). If anyone knows what’s going on, please let me know, thank you.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Well, they aren't really chicks at 15 weeks old. More like juveniles.

I have seen pullets try to bully others by mounting. But my suspicion
would be cockerel.... post a pic please?

 

[Beer can]

I was going to say the same thing eggsighted said, they are not chicks anymore. My last batch was hatched on Easter, so 13 weeks? The cockerels have been crowing for about a week now.
It might be, I've seen many times when you don't have a cockerel/rooster, there will be a what I call a 'boss hen' one of the hens will kinda take over the role of the rooster, watch over the flock and is more aggressive, will even fight a rooster if when one is introduced into the flock.
Or maybe you have a cockerel, some breeds without big combs and wattles are hard to tell until they start crowing and grow their longer tail feathers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some photos could go a long way toward helping here. That sounds like a cockerel. A close-up showing combs and wattles, another showing legs, posture, and general configuration, and a third closeup of the saddle or hackle feathers. Even at 15 weeks some can be challenging but good photos may make it possible to be definite.

It is pecking order/dominance behavior. Chicks mature at different rates, you may be looking at a shake-up of the pecking order as one finally starts maturing.

Those are my two possibilities.

 

[Well Seasoned]

That's what our rooster did at 15 weeks. Along with grabbing them by the neck while mounting

 

[Flockandfowl46]

I'm waiting on pics I'm suspecting a roo

 

[Venusmarsdoodlenoodle]

This is all I have for now (I put them in the coop for the night) but I’ll take some more tomorrow. Hopefully this helps (btw I got them from a feed store and are supposed to be all females but I know mistakes can happen)

 

[CannedMonster]

Probably just a dominant female. She doesn’t look like a cockerel at all.

 

[Below frigid]

I have 5 chicks right now who's daddy was 15 weeks old!

 

[Ridgerunner]

At 15 weeks that is a pullet. I suspect a shake-up of the pecking order as they go through maturity.