help female hen trying to mate with another female hen! wat to do?

[Chicken Charlotte]

Hello
What do I do my hen is trying to MATE with my other hen and she might be turning into a rooster!
Uh what do I do my mum does not want a rooster

And my

has to keep laying or,

something bad will happen

 

[artsyrobin]

actually what is going on is a dominance issue- usually one hen will be the dominant one- she isn't turning into a roo

 

[Kedreeva]

Yes she can't morph into a rooster. She either is a hen, has always been a hen, and will always be a hen, OR she is a rooster, was always a rooster, and will always be a rooster. If you have young birds, it's possible you sexed the hen wrongly and do have a rooster. However, if you are sure it is a hen, rest assured that there will be no gender change.

Sometimes in groups of hens, if there is no rooster, one of the hens will 'take charge' so to speak. She will become the dominant hen and pretend some of the roles of roosters, including awkward crowing attempts and 'mating' with the other hens.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

 

[Chicken Charlotte]

No shes fully grown and layes eggs but hassent got to the crowing bit she just jumps on them and they drop and sqwate

 

[bantyshanty]

As long as they squat for her, they're accepting that she's the dominant hen, and that'll keep peace in the flock.

 

[spoggy]

Quote:
Actually, as an odd biological sidenote, hens have two ovaries, but only use the left one for producing eggs. If this ovary ceases to function due to illness or disease, the right ovary will become active. For some reason, this second ovary can produce large amounts of male hormones and cause the hen to develop male plumage and other secondary sex traits. The affected chicken will even begin to crow like a rooster. Having said this, it is true that the hen will never become a "true" roo, it will lack the basic parts needed for reproduction (although some will argue that the hen will develop those as well).

Interesting as this is, it is exceedingly rare, something like a 1 in 10,000 chance. I will agree with others here, barring a mistake in sexing, your hen cannot become a roo and the behavior you are seeing is the establishment and maintenance of the "pecking order" amongst the hens.

 

[sourland]

Spoggy is correct. I have a friend who has a 6 or 7 year old RI red hen. She has just gone through a molt, and is coming in rooster feathered. Hackles, saddle feathers are pointy and shiney-black curved feathers in her tail. She is growing spurs and her body type is becoming more masculine. She hasn't started crowing yet, but I bet that will come. I've read about this, but this is the first time I have ever seen it.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

I have 5 "big girls" that provide eggs for the family~~no rooster in the pen.
The Speckled Sussex has taken on the role of rooster; she will cover the Gold Comet who is at the bottom of the pecking order; the Sussex even attempts to crow. She continues to lay eggs.

Right now the Sussex has gone broody again and is setting on non-fertile eggs....so the other girls get a break from their "pretend" rooster.

It really causes no harm.

 

[BeckyBird]

I have a female cockatiel that mates with other females. (It's gross because she is the mother, and they are her 2 daughters. Eww!) There is no male anymore (he died) and the female is about 9 years old. She will mount the other females, and do everything a male does. It does not seem to be a dominance thing with them--hate to say it, but they seem to really like doing this. Often, it's the female on the bottom who will initiate everything. And, it's always the same older female that is on the top. (Jeez, what an uncomfortable topic here lol!) They always seem to do this when we have company over, and it is so embarrassing!

Anyways, I guess it is not so rare for a chicken to do this too. I had 2 polish hens, both 4 years old, and they would strut around and fight like roosters. It seems to be common for older female birds to act like males.

Chickens can surprise us all!