Is my hen mating with my other hen?!?!

[Queenpython]

Hello, I heard my favorite hen screaming from a distance and caught this on my ring camera today. I'm a pretty new chicken raiser, so I'm not sure if this is aggressive behavior, or if it was just my hen trying to mate with my other hen? What should I do? Both hens still lay eggs. Do I let the "aggressive" one go? The only reason why I'm freaked out is that it aches me to hear my favorite chicken scream like that. Should I be worried? Attached below is a video.

 

[cherrynberry]

Hello, I heard my favorite hen screaming from a distance and caught this on my ring camera today. I'm a pretty new chicken raiser, so I'm not sure if this is aggressive behavior, or if it was just my hen trying to mate with my other hen? What should I do? Both hens still lay eggs. Do I let the "aggressive" one go? The only reason why I'm freaked out is that it aches me to hear my favorite chicken scream like that. Should I be worried? Attached below is a video.

Just a dominant hen that is asserting dominance.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm not sure if this is aggressive behavior, or if it was just my hen trying to mate with my other hen? What should I do? Both hens still lay eggs. Do I let the "aggressive" one go?

It is dominance.. I won't tolerate it as a long term behavior.. If I don't have a rooster mounting or balding hens I sure don't want another hen doing it.

I only had one (production red PULLET) do this to a Silkie flock mate out of hundreds of birds I've kept. She was re-homed.. because although I know the flock has it's dynamics and allow for it.. some individuals don't fit and create stress for everyone. They may (and usually do) thrive in their new setting.

Short term, once or maybe twice I'd let it go. After that I'd start by disrupting the behavior.. poking or pushing the aggressor off during the act.. Sometime human intervention just prolongs the settling of the behavior.. and they will do it when you're not around anyways.. Other times it may in fact help correct the behavior or redirect it while maturity kicks in.

There are many other suggestions for correcting bully behavior as well as victim mentality (including look but don't touch confinement in sight of the flock (first) for either bird depending on which direction you're going).. I start with the bully first. I never yet had a victim mentality bird issues.

Hope you are enjoying BYC!

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me that is just chickens being chickens. Mating behavior is not just about sex, it's often about dominance. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. To me that looked like it was quite willing.

A lot of the cockerel behavior that gets them in so much trouble has nothing to do with sex, their hormones are driving them to dominate. Often they are bothering pullets that aren't even laying yet, no eggs to fertilize. When I separate my rooster from the flock for even a short while, the first thing he does when I put him back with the hens is mate one to show all of them he is still dominant. I have had the dominant hen mate another hen if I don't have a mature rooster in the flock. Usually there is an immature cockerel in the flock when she does that, she's just showing him that she is dominant, he's not. Sometimes males will do that to each other just to show dominance. It doesn't mean they are kinky or weird, just that they are dominant.

As long as no one is getting injured or hurt it doesn't bother me at all. They are just working out flock dynamics. Chickens being chickens. If one is getting injured that is a different situation but that looked pretty peaceful to me.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Since some very experienced chicken keepers already responded to your question with nearly opposite points of view, I watched your video several times to be sure of what I thought I was seeing. It looked to me that the submissive hen was trying to get away from the dominant hen, got caught in a corner, submitted by squatting, the dominant hen mounted her, & the submissive hen did Not appreciate it. The submissive hen then squawked and struggled to get free again before realizing she could not escape from the hen on top, so re-submitted and quit struggling.

Ive only ever had the above behavior occur in same-sex flocks. If I see it with hens, I add a male(s) in with the flock and the behavior has ceased every time. The same dominating behavior can occur in bachelor flocks, and males are often quite rougher and more aggressive in their "domination."

So yes it's domination. but by the fact you included so many question and exclamation marks in your thread title, the sight clearly disturbed you. And I gotta say it, when referring to the "R" word re humans, that crime is said to be about domination, not sex. So umm. Call it domination or call it mating, the appearance is the same. I think it is highly unlikely the dominating hen will physically hurt your favorite hen; you just have to decide if you are willing to tolerate it or take steps to correct it.

 

[AGeese]

Hopefully the pen is a bit larger than what we're seeing. I have 5 that are sheltering in a temporary garage coop that's smaller than what they really should have. I'm lucky that they all get along, but I have a younger pullet that my two dominate hens will not allow in so she has to sleep nearby but their roosts are off limits or they chase her out.

It's been a gradual process that is progressing, but just wondering if space might have something to do with the incidents you're seeing on camera.