Hen "mounting" only one other hen! Help!

[4MyBirdiegirls]

Hi.
I have had my chickens for almost a year now and my New Hampshire red chicken named New Hampshire started to pluck out all of my other girls feathers. That's mostly over now but she is actually now "mounting" only one of my other hens. Her name is Penny and her head is almost completely bald now because of the other girls picking on her. She is the bottom of the pecking order and she doesn't fight back to anyone including New Hampshire. The mounting is becoming a problem now because I'm afraid shes going to get hurt. What do I do to get her to stop mounting penny?

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

You sure it a hen?

 

[Cheese_Quackers]

I've had ducks and chickens that have "switched gender" before. I just separated the one that was acting strange, then she stopped. My chickens usually do this when they are getting old.

 

[SueT]

I think she's just expressing dominance, she's a bully. Look into Pinless Peepers if you want to keep her. They are plastic blinders that snap into the nostrils. This hen was cured of bullying. It was peepers or the soup pot for her.

 

[4MyBirdiegirls]

She is a hen because she lays eggs and she doesn't crow. I have already tried to separate her before from the rest of the girls and that did help for the feather picking. But there only a year old. Can they switch genders now while there still young?

 

[Cheese_Quackers]

She is a hen because she lays eggs and she doesn't crow. I have already tried to separate her before from the rest of the girls and that did help for the feather picking. But there only a year old. Can they switch genders now while there still young?

Yes, I have had females that act like males, but still, lay eggs. IDK? Just a chicken thing I guess.

 

[4MyBirdiegirls]

Thank you all for your responses. I have however tried the peppers but she filliped out and I was never able to get them onto her. Maybe I will try again.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Thank you all for your responses. I have however tried the peppers but she filliped out and I was never able to get them onto her. Maybe I will try again.

You can try grabbing her off the roost bars at night and wrapping her in a towel to put them on. They are usually calmer at night. How much space do they have in their run? Is there any chance that boredom is causing this issue?

 

[SueT]

Thank you all for your responses. I have however tried the peppers but she filliped out and I was never able to get them onto her. Maybe I will try again.

Yes they are very hard to put on. It helps to have 2 people. Well, If you’ve already tried them, maybe it won’t work.
I put up with a lot of bullying in the past. This year, the 3 most recent bullies went to the poultry swap. Life without them has been peaceful for the flock and for me.

 

[dawg53]

I once had a Black Australorp hen change sex. It stopped laying and started crowing, a sick crow. I culled it.
I didnt have a rooster at the time to assert dominance. Sometimes a dominant hen will start to act like a rooster. The best thing to do is to add a real rooster to the flock to straight out the hens.