Confused Hens?

[Brian]

I either have a hen that is lesbian, or a rooster. Tell me what you think?

My 16 hens (?) are all five and a half months old. I get 10-12 eggs a day at this stage of the game, though some hens haven't started laying yet.

So, yesterday I 'm pulling some weeds, and I then , just 10 feet away, I see one on by australorps grab another aussie by the neck and then mate with her. He/She did it with ease, as if he/she'd been doing it for years. Not once have I heard any crowing. And, other than this one occasion, I've not seen any rooster-like behavior.

Of my birds, I have 4 aussies. Two are a good size, with well developed combs, wattles, etc. One is moderate in size and development. The last one is diminutive, with smaller features overall. Though the two larger ones are bigger, they're not tremendously so.

So...what do you think? What just occurred here? Did one of my girls just get raped by a lesbian hen? Or, do I have a roo who's been keeping a low profile? Please let my hen be a LESBIAN!

At nearly six months of age, you'd think a roo would have manifested itself with some earlier behavior, especially crowing.

Brian

 

[speckledhen]

Since there's no such thing as a lesbian chicken, you either have a rooster or a dominant hen. Sometimes they are a long time starting to crow.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Quote:
We have experience an alpha hen who would dominate the hens and even mount them like a rooster, but she also layed eggs.

 

[rebbetzin]

Many times "mounting" behaviour in animals is merely an expression of dominance, having really no sexual importance.

 

[eggzettera]

Last night I saw my alpha roo do this to another roo, wasn't sure how to bring it up on a "family" friendly way. Thought I would have to use words like "jail house shower room behaviour"..... Thinking I should put him in lock down (solitary) for the sake of the rest.....

 

[BayCityBabe]

My DD said that we would certainly end up with some lesbian chickens, since we ordered the "Rainbow pack"!
Kids these days, really!

 

[Rosalind]

My old roos used to swing both ways. It's natural. When I was little, the bus stop was across the street from our dairy farm neighbors and we got quite an education from the cows. Not one our parents were too thrilled to hear about, of course...

 

[Beanbag]

Last night I saw my alpha roo do this to another roo, wasn't sure how to bring it up on a "family" friendly way. Thought I would have to use words like "jail house shower room behaviour"..... Thinking I should put him in lock down (solitary) for the sake of the rest.....

 

[ReykjaTavi]

When I was growing up, we had two buckeyes. One rooster, one hen. The hen laid eggs. Then all the sudden it tried to be the "top" to the rooster. Then it grew a huge bright red comb. Then it started crowing. It wasn't until I got chickens again that I came across this site:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKChange.html

It's about F-M sex change in poultry. Don't know how often it happens, but it sure eased my scarred childhood. lol

Amber

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Yeah, well they are not frogs, so I'd have to see it to believe it.